Power Shift
by PendulumDeath
Summary: Nothing could have foretold the shift in power that was about to occur between two of the strongest forces in Tokyo, one of them being Heiwajima Shizuo, a man with a short fuse and inhuman strength, while the other was Orihara Izaya, an Information Broker who claimed to love all of humanity; except Shizuo of course. ( Izaya/Shizuo )
1. Enigma

It was a day like any other, nothing about it foretelling the shift in power that was about to occur between two of the strongest forces in Tokyo. One of them was Heiwajima Shizuo, a man with a short fuse and inhuman strength, while the other was Orihara Izaya, an Information Broker who claimed to love all of humanity, except Shizuo of course. In his eyes, Ikebukuro's beast was not human.

"IZAAAYAAAA!" Shizuo roared, the people around him quickly making themselves scarce.

It was common knowledge that when Heiwajima Shizuo ran into Orihara Izaya, public property would get damaged and/or destroyed, along with anyone who happened to stray within the path of these two terrifying forces of nature.

Izaya immediately turned around and assumed a defensive position, the switchkblade he swiftly pulled out of the pocket of his fur-trimmed jacket poised to attack at a moment's notice. "Shizu-chan, fancy seeing you here," he said, his mouth set into the signature smirk that he knew Shizuo hated with a fiery passion.

"Cut the crap; I'm not in the mood for your shit today," Shizuo barked and took a drag from the cigarette. For once, his day at work had gone well, him not having to bash anyone's head into a wall in order to get them to pay their debts. It had actually gotten to the point where his name alone was sometimes enough to scare people into paying. He couldn't decide whether that was good or bad, but he didn't have to break bones as often as he did before, and that was always a good thing.

"But Shizu-chan, I go where I'm needed, and my work requires me to be here today. Some of us have serious jobs, you know?" Izaya innocently pointed out.

"And what job is that, hah? Screwing up people's lives? Everyone knows you're a little shit who'd sell his mother for the right price," Shizuo accused, his eyes darting around for something that he could use to squash the insect into the ground.

Izaya sighed. "Now I'm offended, Shizu-chan. Is your opinion of me that low?" he asked, his expression taking on an air of mock-hurt.

"No, my opinion is actually lower than that. Don't kid yourself, flea, you are scum, and I will dispose of you."

"Oh my, Shizu-chan is using such fancy words! Don't try too hard, ne? Your protozoan brain might explode from the sheer effort of trying to sound smart when you obviously aren't," Izaya mockingly advised him.

"Shut the fuck up, flea! I warned you to stay out of Ikebukuro," Shizuo growled, his eyes burning with rage behind the purple-tinted sunglasses. No matter how many times he kicked the bastard's ass it never seemed to be enough. Izaya was a disgusting insect, and Shizuo had no plans of ever giving up on trying to snuff its life once and for all. The flea was a menace to every inhabitant of Ikebukuro, and Shizuo was not about to let this plague called Orihara Izaya run amok on his territory.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Ikebukuro does not belong to you," Izaya graciously informed him before he broke into a string of giggles.

Shizuo was done talking. "KILLKILLKILL!" he said before breaking his cigarette in two and dashing towards Izaya, the man turning around and running in the opposite direction. Izaya had always been fast, which made him really hard to catch, but Shizuo never let that stop him. It had been hard in the beginning, back when they were still in high school, when he wasn't used to the flea's fighting style, but the more time passed, the better Shizuo got at chasing the bastard out of Ikebukuro. His dodging skills had also improved over time, the years of practice he had from avoiding getting slashed by Izaya turning him into a proficient fighter. Even without his strength, Shizuo was confident that he could kick the flea's ass back to Shinjuku any time he wanted.

"Ne, Shizu-chan, when are you going to stop acting like such a brute?" Izaya shouted so that Shizuo could hear him through the sound of their footsteps.

"How about you stay out of Ikebukuro?" Shizuo roared while trying to grab a street sign in order to pull it out and smack the annoying flea with it until it'd stop buzzing, his fingers slipping as the force of the momentum kept him moving forwards, the metal pipe-like object remaining deeply rooted into concrete. He only threw the street sign a confused glance but kept running, not exactly giving the failed attempt much thought.

"Aren't you tired of chasing me around?" Izaya asked, pouting, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. He was hoping not to run into the brute, but it was a risk he was willing to take in order to get the information he needed. The businessman who had hired him was willing to pay a hefty amount of money, his only condition being to get the job done in less than a week; Izaya wasn't about to lose that much money because of an idiotic brute.

Shizuo grit his teeth in annoyance, Izaya always succeeding in getting on his nerves. _"What a dumb fucking question_," thought Shizuo and increased his speed in the hope that he could catch the flea and bash his head into the nearest wall until the insect would stop twitching. Of course he didn't like chasing the bastard all over Ikebukuro, but the man never left him alone, always looking for new ways to provoke him, starting from the time when they were back in high school and Izaya always sent gangs after him. In Shizuo's opinion, there was obviously something wrong with the man's head. "Aren't you tired of the same old shit?" Shizuo asked, wondering what it was about him that made the flea so obsessed with his person. Sure, he had inhuman strength, he knew as much, but that shouldn't have been a good enough reason for the Informant to keep coming back and mess up his life, as though getting him fired and arrested hadn't been enough already. Celty was a bigger monster than he was, but that didn't make Izaya run around and actively try to piss her off. Izaya was a freakin' enigma, and Shizuo doubted that anyone could ever guess what exactly went on in that screwed up mind of his.

"Like I said Shizu-chan, I'm here to work, so be a good sport and go home," Izaya suggested as he suddenly stopped, pulled a blade out of the pocket of his jacket and threw it towards Shizuo's shoulder who in turn dodged the sharp object and smirked.

"You still think something like that can stop me, I-za-ya-kun?"

"How about you let me go today?"

They were both panting heavily, their chase having lasted more than they had expected.

Shizuo pulled out the pack from his pocket and lit up a cigarette, his lungs burning for some much needed smoke. "How about you fucking die?" Shizuo spat and took another drag from the cigarette.

Izaya sighed, then shrugged, his switchblade still pointed in Shizuo's direction. "This is why I don't like you, Shizu-chan, I'm not that good at dealing with unpredictable beasts."

Shizuo growled and snapped the cigarette in two again, the flea's annoying voice grating on his brain hard enough to make him lose track of what he was doing. "I might be a monster, flea, but so are you."

"Tch!" was all Izaya said before he attacked. He feigned going for the usual chest slash, waiting for Shizuo to lean backwards in order to avoid getting cut, giving him the perfect opportunity to stab him in the thigh and hopefully slow down the brute enough so that he could get away. That had been his plan, _"a good plan,"_ he thought, until Shizuo raised his leg and kneed his forearm hard enough to make him lose his grip on the switchblade. He immediately jumped backwards, Shizuo crouching down and retrieving the lost weapon with a sadistic smile on his face.

"You're nothing without your toy," he said and pointed the switchblade in Izaya's direction.

Izaya was more stunned at not having the bones of his forearm obliterated than at having lost his weapon. A hit like that from Shizuo usually meant broken bones and heavy hospital bills, along with a few weeks of painful recovery. He chuckled, not willing to show Shizuo his confusion. "You insult me, Shizu-chan," and he smiled, "that's just a quirk of mine. I can fight you just as well without it. I'll prove it to you."

Shizuo snorted. "Whatever." Without another word, he switched the flickblade to his left hand and attacked, Izaya immediately dodging the first hit, his moves as fluid and slippery as always. Shizuo had never took his archenemy seriously in a fist fight, and it turned out to be his downfall when Izaya grabbed his fist, twisted it hard, then threw him on the ground with a swift kick to his legs. For a fraction of a second they were both too stunned to react, but Izaya recovered first, a second switchblade now digging into the skin of Shizuo's throat. He still had the other switchblade in his hand, but he didn't dare move when Izaya's eyes were glowing so dangerously. Shizuo knew that he was strong, but he wasn't immortal, and a clean cut to the throat would certainly be enough to end his life.

"I love it when people underestimate me," Izaya chortled and pushed the sharp edge of the blade a little deeper until it drew blood.

Shizuo grit his teeth and kept quiet, his survival instincts kicking in.

Izaya stared at him for a long time, a sort of creepy curiosity hidden behind the hateful gaze. "What's wrong?" he finally asked, this strange feeling that something was not right bothering him a lot more than he would've thought possible.

"Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?" Shizuo grunted in confusion. The pressure on his throat relented a bit, and a few moments later Izaya gave him a crazed look that made a shiver run down his spine. For a second he thought that Izaya would push the blade in and finish the job, but the man removed the it from his throat and got up.

"I win this round, Shizu-chan, so how about you let me do my job while you go home and take care of that cut? Pretend you never saw me if that'll make you feel better," Izaya smirked before waving and walking away, leaving a wide-eyed Shizuo to stare at him in both surprise and extreme confusion. There was something wrong with the protozoan in Izaya's opinion, but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly that was. He would have to keep an eye on him until he solved the mystery of how exactly he succeeded in gaining such a decisive victory against the man that could've easily ripped apart his limbs one by one without breaking a sweat. Izaya could've killed him, he had a great opportunity to do so, but getting rid of the beast was not one of priorities. Shizuo was a nuisance, but not that much of a nuisance to push Izaya into killing him. Besides, his life would most likely be a lot less interesting without the beast around to amuse him once in a while. He giggled, his heart leaping at the prospect of playing some more with Shizuo and maybe kicking his ass again. _"Wouldn't that be humiliating for the brute?"_

Shizuo kept staring at Izaya from his spot on the ground until the man went around a corner and disappeared from his sight. He had no idea what just happened, never before finding himself at the flea's mercy. Izaya could've slit his throat and walked away without sparing him a second glance, leaving him there to bleed on the ground until he'd give his last choked breath. That was mindfuck in itself, but the fact that the man succeeded in throwing him to the ground was just as unsettling. Was Izaya on steroids or something? He got on his feet and pocketed the switchblade, knowing that it was not a good idea to leave it on the street where kids might find it. He dusted himself off then turned around and went home, hoping that some food and perhaps a good night's sleep would help him clear his head.


	2. A Changing Situation

The next morning, Shizuo was just as puzzled about the whole thing as he had been the day before. How could he not? It was not that easy to get over the fact that Izaya succeeded in kicking his ass in a fistfight. The man never ceased to amaze him, in a bad way of course, and it had been an unpleasant surprise to end up at his mercy. As though that hadn't been shocking enough, Izaya had simply walked away, wasting a perfectly good opportunity to swiftly dispatch him into the afterlife. He had always assumed that Izaya would jump at the opportunity to take his life, but knowing the flea, he probably hadn't done so because he was not yet satisfied with how much he had tormented him over the years. Shizuo couldn't even begin to guess what went on in Izaya's messed up head. As a matter of fact, he didn't even want to know. If the flea left him alone, his life would be much easier, but he knew that would never happen, not as long as he had his inhuman strength. Now that he thought back, he was certain that it had been hate at first sight back when they met for the first time when they were still in high school. "Damn louse," he grumbled out loud, picked up his sunglasses, keys and cigarette pack and left the apartment to go to work.

It was a beautiful sunny day, but for some reason, he was feeling tense. _"It's probably because of what happened yesterday,"_ he told himself, trying really hard to ignore the feeling of the flea's presence somewhere nearby while he continued to walk towards the place where he was supposed to meet Tom. He put a cigarette between his lips and lit it up, then froze on the spot when he felt his hackles rise for no particular reason. _"What the―"_

"Shizu-chan, good morning!" Izaya chirped from somewhere behind him. He had been following the man since he left the apartment, and he wasn't about to waste a perfectly good opportunity to ruin the protozoan's day. It always amused him to see Shizuo's tense form each time they ran into each other, to hear the stupid protozoan's hateful words and insults who so easily fell prey to his taunting.

Shizuo growled and turned around. _"Ah, this explains it. _Get lost," he barked, hoping against hope that Izaya would listen to him for once; he really didn't want to keep Tom waiting. _"Why is he even here?"_ Not why he was in Ikebukuro, but why he was hanging around his apartment building.

"How can Shizu-chan be so mean this early in the morning?" Izaya asked in mock-offense. "It's a beautiful day." He then closed his eyes, the rays of the sun feeling nice on his cold skin. He had a feeling that things would somehow change soon. There was nothing better than a twist to the games he usually played, even if in this particular case he wouldn't be the one responsible for said twist. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't enjoyed having the protozoan at his mercy.

Shizuo took a drag from the cigarette. "Yes it is, it's the perfect day to bash your head in," he threatened, but he knew that it was not that easy to catch him. It was always hard to get his hands on the insect or to chase him away, because the freakin' thing buzzed around the place way too fast, and no matter how hard he tried to swat it away, he couldn't get Izaya to back off. "You're here to gloat about yesterday, aren't you?" he hissed, a vein popping on the side of his forehead. It would've been one hell of a coincidence if the bastard only happened to be passing by, but Heiwajima Shizuo didn't believe in coincidences when it came to Orihara Izaya, not when the insect always planned everything. He looked at Izaya, the serene expression on the louse's face making him want to punch him as hard as possible. He couldn't even have five minutes of peace in his life, while Izaya seamed to have a great time in every situation, even when he was running for his life. If that wasn't unfair, then he didn't know what was.

Izaya opened his eyes and stared intently into Shizuo's honey-brown ones, his lips set into a twisted smirk. Izaya was many things, but he wasn't petty enough to brag about all the times he cut Shizuo up, or about that one single time when he actually had him at his mercy. No, he would not do that. Shizuo was still the one who chased him, not the other way around, and unless the balance of power would somehow shift, he would keep quiet about it. "No, Shizu-chan, of course not," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "I only wanted to see how you were doing."

"Hah? How is that any of your business?" Shizuo snarled and snapped the cigarette in two. Just because the bastard had somehow won, it didn't mean that something was wrong with him.

"Are you feeling any different?" Izaya continued, the light of the sun giving his brown-red eyes a dangerous gleam. _"Yes, Shizu-chan, get angry so that I can see you fight as soon as possible."_

"KILL! KILL! KILLKILKILL!" Shizuo started just before he threw away the cigarette and moved to punch him.

Izaya dodged the fist with ease and ran away, hands still in the pockets of his fur-trimmed jacket. Shizuo's lack of restraint never ceased to amaze him. Nothing seemed different about the protozoan after seeing him again, but that wasn't the impression he got the day before. He couldn't risk getting caught though, because the beast was unpredictable and he couldn't afford to end up in the hospital when he still had so much work to do. A chase so early in the morning would surely piss Shizuo off for the rest of the day, and that was perfect because he wanted to see him lose his temper. _"Just not on me._ Ne, Shizu-chan, aren't you going to be late for work?" he shouted and hoped that the man would stop chasing him.

"Killing you takes priority," he growled and then cursed when Izaya increased his speed. He told himself that Tom could wait for a few more minutes, because getting rid of the pest was far more important when the safety of Ikebukuro was at stake.

Izaya chuckled but said nothing, his mind set on losing Shizuo as soon as possible so that he could go on to observe the beast from afar. An idea popped into his head and he changed direction, surprising Shizuo in the process because he usual ran towards Shinjuku when he was being chased instead of going towards Ikebukuro's center.

"Flea, what are you doing?"

Izaya just laughed and kept running, knowing exactly what he had to do in order to get rid of the brute. He kept running for a long time, and just when he was starting to worry that he might not find the man, he heard Tom's voice from somewhere on his right.

"Shizuo!" the man shouted after the bodyguard passed him by at the speed of light. "SHIZUO!"

This time Shizuo stopped, because as much as he despised the flea, it was rude to make Tom wait for him when they had so much work to do, especially after running into him. He grit his teeth in frustration and watched as Izaya disappeared around a corner, wishing he had superhuman speed instead of strength so that he could catch him and beat him to a bloody pulp. "Sorry about that," he said once he stood in front of Tom.

"No problem. Sorry for spoiling your fun," Tom apologized in an amused tone.

Shizuo lit up a cigarette, the simple act of smoking helping him relax just a tiny bit. "He was waiting for me when I left my apartment today."

Tom laughed.

"It's not funny!" Shizuo snapped, the whole thing pissing him off so much that he felt the sudden need to punch a wall or something. As though showing up in Ikebukuro wasn't bad enough, now Izaya probably found it entertaining to stalk him. Even for the flea this was on a whole new level of fucking disturbing. He could still feel him, no, smell the bastard's stench, which meant that he was still somewhere nearby, and that made Shizuo's whole body tremble in rage. As soon as work was over, he would track him down and murder him, slowly and painfully, and then throw away his corpse into a dumpster because that's where the asshole belonged.

Tom sighed. "Can't you simply ignore him? The only reason he keeps coming back is because he always gets a reaction out of you." If Shizuo couldn't see it, then the man had to be blind.

With a cigarette hanging loosely between his lips and his hands in the pockets of his pants, Shizuo started walking away, knowing that Tom would follow. "I know that," he grumbled, "but when I see him, I lose it."

"I guess he is somewhat annoying, but really, you should try to ignore him once in a while," Tom tried again, even though he knew that Shizuo would never follow his advice. "He'll probably stop coming after you then."

"Look, I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face from the moment I met him, so no, I can't ignore him when all I wanna do is bash his head in." Normal people could never understand how he felt when that blind rage took over, how he couldn't control himself, especially when it came to Izaya, the slippery bastard making him see red.

Tom sighed once again but otherwise kept quiet.

Shizuo kept calm most of the day ― as calm as one with his anger issues could stay ― but he couldn't shake off the strange feeling that the flea was following him, which happened to be true.

Izaya was an Information Broker who bought and sold information, and as such, he had to find out what was different about the protozoan because such information would be valuable. Shizuo had never before lost in fistfight, and Shizuo never hit him without breaking something, so following that line of thought brought the conclusion that either something was wrong with Ikebukuro's beast or that the day before had been a fluke, an anomaly. Izaya would've liked to believe that he had won because he was stronger, but he wasn't delusional enough to think that he could beat Shizuo. Unfortunately for him, Ikebukuro's beast was being quite calm, and it was frustrating to wait so long to see the man lose it. He sighed and hid behind a corner as he watched Shizuo stand in front of someone's apartment looking menacing while Tom was trying to explain why it was in the man's best interest to pay his debts.

"Katashi-san," Tom tried again, the usually calm man starting to lose his patience, "it only makes sense to pay back the money that you've borrowed."

The burly man, whose name was apparently Katashi, snorted and moved to close the door in their faces. Izaya's eyes glowed, knowing what was about to happen next.

Shizuo didn't even bother to pull out the hands from the pockets of his pants, his right foot colliding with the door, which, against all expectations, didn't send the man behind it flying inside the apartment._ "Huh?"_

"What the fuck are you doing?" Katashi growled and moved to punch Shizuo in the face, but Ikebukuro's beast dodged the hit and punched the man in the stomach, once again failing to send him flying through the corridor. _"What the―"_

Izaya's eyes widened, a malicious gleam shining in those dangerous brown-red orbs of his. _"This is going to be so much fun!"_

"Are you ok?" Tom fretted, worry evident in his voice.

"KILLKILLKILLKILLKILL!" was all the bodyguard could say as he went wild on the man, punching and kicking with everything he had, which wasn't much compared to his usual strength, but at least the pain he felt each time he got hit didn't bother him because that was the same as always. _"Something's wrong," _he thought worriedly. Even though he was drowning in blind rage, he knew that his opponent couldn't have possibly been stronger than he was, which meant that the problem was on his end.

Tom moved just in time to catch Shizuo as the man stumbled backwards from one of Katashi's hits. "You're not being yourself right now. Maybe we should leave?!" he suggested and he had no choice but to shut up when Shizuo pushed him away and went back to fighting the much bigger man.

It took Izaya everything he had to not go over there and observe such a magnificent fight up close. He watched as Shizuo ducked an incoming fist before punching the man hard stomach. Katashi staggered for a bit but recovered in time to catch Shizuo's next fist attack, the action being followed by a knee to the blond's stomach. A normal person would've doubled over in pain, but Heiwajima Shizuo was not normal, and even though there seemed to be something wrong with his inhuman strength, the man was just as resilient as ever. _"Why Shizu-chan? Why can't you send him flying through the wall of his own apartment...?"_

Finally, Shizuo kicked Katashi into the wall and banged his head into the hard surface hard enough to make him lose consciousness. He wiped some of the blood pouring down his nose and proceeded to drag the man inside the apartment.

A malevolent smile graced Izaya's lips as he walked away, eyes glowing dangerously. _"Shizu-chan, I will thoroughly relish your fall. In fact, I will speed up the process."_ He heard Shizuo's voice from somewhere behind him and his smile widened. _"You will break, I will see to it personally."_

"Don't just stand there," Shizuo muttered when he noticed that Tom was frozen on the spot, "go look for the money."

Tom blinked, shook his head, and followed Shizuo inside the apartment, closing the door behind him. "What just happened...?"

Shizuo shrugged.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Shizuo mumbled and dropped Katashi, the man hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"You're not fine! I think you should go to the hospital."

"Just find the money so we can leave," Shizuo snapped, somewhat irritated about the whole situation. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have raised my voice," he added when he realized his mistake.

Tom shook his head. "Don't worry about it." Shizuo was not well, but getting out of there was more important, so he did as suggested and went to look for the money. They didn't usually break into people's houses, but seeing how Shizuo wasn't able to scare Katashi into paying, they were left with no other choice. "Found them!"

"Great. Give me a second," Shizuo mumbled and went to the bathroom to wash the blood off his face. He caught his reflection in the mirror and stared at it for a few moments, trying to figure out what was going on. His strength was gone... somehow. He didn't know whether it was permanent or temporary, and he was confused about the whole thing, but he had a feeling that Izaya was behind it. _"Why else would he ask me how I was doing?"_ His fingers tightened on the edge of the sink. He'd always wanted to be normal, but if it was Izaya's doing ― and he was almost certain that it was ― then there had to be a catch. His eyes flashed dangerously. _"I'm going to kill that flea!"_ He stormed out of the apartment, his mind set on finding Izaya. "KILL! KILL! KILL!"


	3. End of the Beginning

Izaya was happily humming a random song while prancing out of the apartment building, not expecting Shizuo to come racing after him. He barely had time to jump out of the way after he heard the growl behind him, his expression one of surprise as his eyes locked with Shizuo's angry honey-brown ones. His first instinct had been to run away, but then he remembered that the brute lacked his usual beastly strength, so instead he smirked and decided to play a bit with the protozoan before he went back to work. "Is there something you want?" He barely suppressed a chuckle at the way the brute glowered at him, Shizuo's usual hateful glare being replaced by something much stronger.

It was a miracle Shizuo could still talk when his whole body shook with incommensurable rage, his honey-brown eyes clouded by the anger he could feel boiling on the inside. "What did you do?" he growled out the words, now convinced that Izaya was to blame for whatever was happening to him. He had many reasons to believe so, but the biggest one was that the flea who usually ran away when they crossed paths was now standing in front of him as though he had no care in the world. The disgusting louse didn't even bother to pull out his switchblade in order to defend himself in case he would be attacked, which only meant that he didn't see him as a threat anymore. As much as he hated to admit, Shizuo actually felt a bit offended by it. It wasn't that he wanted people to fear him, but he didn't like the way the Informant looked at him as though he was just another insect to be stepped on.

Izaya stared at him for a few moments before he shrugged and innocently smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Shizuo balled his hands into fists, nails painfully digging into the skin of his palms. "Don't screw around with me!" He was at his limit, and if the flea didn't start talking very soon, he'd have to show him just how strong he was even without his monstrous strength. Besides, he was certain that he could still bang his head into a brick wall just as easily as before. Normal people still fought and killed others all the time, and Shizuo wasn't above doing the same if Izaya didn't explain what the hell was going on. "Talk!" he growled when the flea gave him a seemingly confused look.

Izaya couldn't help but snicker. It was funny how Shizuo didn't seem to believe him even when he spoke the truth. He guessed that, in a way, he was like the boy who cried wolf. While he was guilty of most of the bad stuff happening to the brute, he was innocent of the accusations being brought to him this time around, and yet Shizuo refused to believe him and instead kept blaming him for whatever it was that was happening to him. He wasn't about to complain though, because a brute with no strength meant freedom to roam Ikebukuro as often and as much as he pleased, and that suited him just fine, so it didn't really matter if Shizuo kept accusing him of something he had not done. If there really was someone behind it, Izaya was grateful to that person for making his life so much easier by taking the brute out of the picture. Well, not quite out of the picture, but Shizuo with no strength was no different than any of his other humans. Besides, he had to admit that it was fun to watch the protozoan curse and cry about his lost strength. Izaya was highly amused by the way in which the brute fumed as he stood in front of him, but he wasn't about to break into laughter just yet. He put on a bored expression and sighed loudly before trying to explain to the brute, for the umpteenth time, that he was innocent. "While I may be the one behind many bad things happening to you, I assure you that, in this case, it's not my doing."

"Stop lying, you fucking piece of shit!" Shizuo roared as his already frail control shattered to smithereens. He swung his fist at Izaya, but the insect was already out of the way before he even got near him. He kept trying to hit him, to punch him so hard that he'd cry out, but he couldn't even land a hit when the slippery bastard kept evading each and every hit. It was one of the reasons he hated Izaya more than anyone in the world; no person should be so good at evading hits. _"Is this bastard even human? Of course he isn't,"_ he realized. Izaya was, after all, nothing more than a disgusting flea that buzzed around him all the time and made his life a living hell. He was so pissed off at him and his evading moves that he didn't even realized what he was trying to do until Izaya broke into laughter, the man's high-pitched voice grating on his already fried nerves. He turned his head and his eyes widened in surprise before he glared at the street sign he had just failed to uproot as though it had somehow offended him. He gave it a kick out of spite and then he shot Izaya a murderous glare. "SHUT THE FUCK UP, FLEA!"

Izaya was laughing so hard that he was holding his side, tears starting to well at the corners of his eyes. Seeing the brute fail so miserably was one of the best things that could've happened to him that day. "Ahh ha ha ha! If only you could see yourself now, Shizu-chan! This is priceless!" he said in-between bouts of laughter, holding onto his phone as though it was his most prized possession.

Shizuo stared at him in disbelief. "Did you... did you just record this?" He knew the flea was a horrible, horrible human being... creature, _**thing,**_ but he was still surprised to witness the bastard's childish reaction. To think that he could go so far as to poison him with something just to make him lose his power, not to mention record him so that he could gloat about it later or perhaps post the short video online in order to embarrass him... _"Unbelievable."_

Izaya wiped the tears, his malicious smirk back in place. "Of course I did! What did you expect? It was hilarious to see you fail so miserably at something that you've been so good at your entire life." Izaya expected many things that day, but to see Shizuo failing to uproot a street sign was not one of them. "Ne, Shizu-chan, isn't it funny how unpredictable you are? Even now, as weak as you are, you still never do what I expect you to do." His eyes took on an evil gleam and his smirk widened until he had a crazed expression on his face. "Please do entertain me some more," he sang just before he attacked Shizuo, trying to cut the man if only a little. The brute was quite good at evading though, and it wasn't that surprising considering they had been doing the same dance for so many years. He could've just walked away, but it always made him feel better to see Shizuo bleed by his hands, so he kept at it until he realized that fighting the brute was not as much fun as it was all those previous times when he had to be careful not to get his bones obliterated by a single hit coming from his archenemy. "Tch," he said as he suddenly stopped and shoved the switchblade back into the pocket of his jacket. "This is boring."

"Huh?" Shizuo exclaimed as his arms fell limply by his sides and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Shizu-chan without his monstrous strength is boring, so, so boring!" he whined, lips set into a pout. The only thing setting the brute apart from the rest of humanity was that disproportionate strength of his, and without it, Shizuo was nothing special. The man's rage was still amusing, but that wasn't enough to entertain Izaya at that particular moment in time.

Shizuo could almost feel the blood boil in his veins, and it took everything he had to somehow reign in his rage. He wanted nothing more than to hit Izaya until the bastard's skull would cave in, but he wasn't dumb enough to believe that he could easily achieve such a feat. Shizuo knew that he was at an disadvantage without his strength, because Izaya was much faster than he was, and besides, the bastard had a weapon. _"Oh wait."_ He smirked as he lit up a cigarette and looked into those almost red, malicious eyes. "Too scared to face me? Is that it flea?" he said, finally realizing that he had to use his brain now that he lacked his usual inhuman strength. He wasn't as dumb as people liked to believe.

Izaya's mask slipped for only a second, but he quickly recovered and put on a smug look. He would not let the brute see how much that question had both annoyed and surprised him. "Here I was, cutting you some slack because you're reminding me of a lost puppy now that your strength is gone, but if this is how you want to play," he sneered and took out the switchblade again, "then I will make you understand why you should not mess with Orihara Izaya."

Shizuo pocketed the cigarette pack and shot his opponent a mocking glare. "All right, do your best, show me why I shouldn't mess with a disgusting flea going by the name of Orihara Izaya."

"Ok," was the only thing Izaya said as he used a couple of throwing knives to distract Shizuo so that he could land a hit while the brute was busy evading them.

Shizuo was used to such tricks, but he didn't expect Izaya to attack him with such viciousness, so before he even knew what was going on he was pinned against the wall, the bastard's blade digging into his throat. He figured that he must've struck a nerve if Izaya ended up exploding in such a way. He wasn't worried though, because he doubted the flea would dare kill him on a busy street in the middle of the day.

"Ne, Shizu-chan, do you understand now?" Izaya sneered and pushed the blade deeper into the skin to get his point across. He expected the brute to start raging as he usually did, to spew insults or to growl like an animal, but what he didn't expect was the sting of something sharp being pushed into his abdomen. Wide eyes darted towards it and that's when he saw that Shizuo was holding his abandoned switchblade. He wasn't used to Shizuo doing anything else besides mindlessly rage all the time, so it came to him as a surprise that the brute was capable of rational thought in such a situation. It was no wonder that Shizuo was almost calm about it. No matter how dumb he was, he wouldn't have allowed himself to get caught again, not after their previous altercation the night before. Izaya raised his head and stared at the man, Shizuo's insane smirk telling him that there was much more to the protozoan than met the eye. "Ahh ha ha ha!" he burst into laughter and backed away. "I take it back, I take it all back!" he said as he raised his arms and looked at the sky. "The world is such a fascinating place, and you, Shizu-chan, might still prove to be entertaining."

"You're just as insane as ever," Shizuo mumbled as he pushed the blade back into place and threw the now harmless thing at Izaya with more force than was necessary.

Izaya caught it and gave Shizuo a surprised look, unable to comprehend why Shizuo was acting like a civilized person. Just because he didn't have his strength it didn't mean that the brute should start acting like a normal person. It sort of pissed him off, but then again, Shizuo always surprised him; the protozoan always did unexpected things. It wasn't just the inhuman strength that had caught his attention, but also the way in Shizuo would react to him every time they met. _"Shizu-chan has never truly been boring,"_ he reluctantly admitted to himself.

"Why are you so surprised, flea? I'm not you, so I don't like to go around carrying dangerous weapons." Just because he was suddenly weaker than he used to be, it didn't mean that he'd start using switchblades to protect himself. His fists would always be enough, no matter how strong or weak his hits would end up being. Besides, Izaya was now the abnormal one with his inhuman speed, so Shizuo had no doubt that he could easily dispatch into unconsciousness any other person who would end up pissing him off for one reason or another.

Izaya burst into laughter again. "Right, I understand. Shizu-chan's weapons used to be anything within our urban landscape, the key word here being _used to,_ but you don't have your strength anymore, which means no more unconventional weapons for you to pick up whenever you feel like it. You're now a sitting duck. Are you sure you don't need this?" he mockingly asked as he dangled the switchblade between two fingers.

Shizuo took one last drag from the cigarette before throwing it away and shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants to retrieve the pack and the lighter. "I'm sure," he said and lit up another one.

Izaya's previously malicious smirk turned sadistic. "I will break you."

"Yeah, I know you'll try," Shizuo shrugged as he walked away, tired of hearing Izaya yap. It was obvious that the disgusting louse wasn't going to tell him anything, and even if Shizuo could somehow catch him and beat him up, he was sure that Izaya would never reveal anything, not until he would grow tired of his own fucked up game.

"Aren't you going to fight me some more in the vain hope of getting me to talk about what I supposedly did to you to make you lose your strength?" It was both funny and annoying to see the protozoan act normal, and Izaya was starting to have mixed feelings about the whole situation. While he would certainly enjoy the newly acquired freedom, it also meant that he no longer had a serious opponent. There were Simon and Celty, but they didn't usually jump at the opportunity to get into a physical fight with him. _"Does this mean I'm Ikebukuro's strongest now?"_ His eyes glowed, already liking the sound of that.

Shizuo kept on walking, not even bothering to turn around as he answered the question. "Nah, I know that you'd rather die, so I'll figure it out by myself." Now that he thought about it, no matter how much he had threatened to kill him, he had no plans of going to jail for murdering the scum that was Orihara Izaya.

Izaya glowered at Shizuo's retreating back for a while before he spun around and went in the opposite direction because he still had work to do in Ikebukuro. _"Why must he always be this unpredictable?"_

Shizuo headed towards Shinra's apartment, dreading to go there but knowing that he had no choice but to let the underground doctor have a look at him. He'd have to threaten him with murder or something before allowing him to get anywhere near him, but if he was lucky enough, Shinra might be able to figure out what was wrong with him. He had to know what the problem was, and whether it was something temporary or permanent. He hated not having a definite answer, because as things were, he couldn't decide whether he was happy or sad about losing his power. He had always despised his own monstrous strength, but he couldn't deny that it had been useful at times. If he only lost it, then perhaps he would be fine, but he had no idea what exactly Izaya did to him, so the possibility of him being in mortal danger was very high. Sure, he wasn't happy about his shitty life in general, but that didn't mean that he wanted to die. No matter how hard life was, there were still moments when he felt happy to have friends that cared about him, like Celty or Tom, and a family who still loved him despite his infinite flaws. His life wasn't the best, but it was still something, even with the flea doing his best to ruin it every chance he got. It irked him that Izaya kept denying the accusations, as though it wasn't obvious enough that he was the culprit. The man hated his guts, like so many others, but only he had the means to pull off something like that. It wouldn't have been hard for someone like Izaya to find something that would weaken him, because the bastard had money, and Shizuo knew that everything had a price, including experimental drugs and other such things.

He was so focused on cursing Izaya to hell and back that he didn't even notice when he arrived in front of the doctor's apartment building. He cringed at the idea of having to go up there, but he steeled himself for the unavoidable meeting. They used to be in the same class when they were children, but he sure as hell didn't trust the weirdo with anything related to his health. Shinra was too much of a freak, and Shizuo could never guess what went through that messed up head of his. For all he knew, Shinra was capable of going as far as to clone him in order to do weird tests on him. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and threw the cigarette before going in and knocking on the doctor's door. He didn't want to see the man, but he had no choice. He watched as the door opened a few moments later, revealing Shinra's excited expression, the man's eyes almost glowing at the prospect of perhaps convincing him to allow him to perform some tests on his person.

"Shizuo! Come in," he chirped and invited Shizuo inside. "Are you badly injured?" he then asked and proceeded to inspect Shizuo for any visible wounds, not missing the bruises starting to form on the man's face.

"I'm fine," Shizuo grunted as he sat down on the living room couch, and then continued when Shinra gave him a confused look. "I need your help with something," he mumbled, feeling completely unhappy at having to voice out his problem.

"What exactly?" Shinra asked as he sat down as well.

"It's a health problem I'm having," Shizuo confessed cringing and regretted opening his mouth when Shinra's eyes started to roam all over his body like he was some sort on strange specimen just waiting to be studied.

Shinra fought the urge to rub his hands together at the prospect of getting his claws on Ikebukuro's beast. The chance to study Heiwajima Shizuo had always been one of his biggest dreams, and judging by the man's reluctant expression, his soon-to-be subject wasn't too thrilled about it; not that he cared whether the man was happy about it or not as long as he got to study him. _"Ah, but first things first."_ It wouldn't do to scare Shizuo away before he even had a chance to take a blood sample. "So what happened?" he innocently asked.

Shizuo's hands balled into fists and he had to fight off the urge to punch something just to relieve some of the rage building up inside of him. He took a deep breath and exhaled, steeling himself for what he knew would be one hell of an annoying conversation. "Izaya did something to me."

"Izaya? Really? Now that's a surprise!"

Shizuo was itching for cigarette, but he didn't dare smoke one inside the apartment knowing that it would piss off the doctor. He needed Shinra's help after all, and he would get it no matter what. "My strength..." he finally said in a rough voice before he stopped and took a deep breath in order to find the courage to let the mad doctor know what the problem was.

"What about it?" Shinra knew that his eyes were most likely sparkling in excitement, and that he was probably creeping the man out, but he couldn't control his excitement any longer.

Shizuo grit his teeth in frustration, the idea of telling anyone about his weakness making him extremely uncomfortable. "It's gone," he finally confessed and pulled out the cigarette pack.

Shinra's grin widened. "Did you just say your strength is gone? Did I hear you right?"

"Yeah. _Shit!"_ He lit up the cigarette and took a smoke, unable to control himself any longer, especially when Shinra was already running to get the medical kit. His eye twitched as he heard some things being moved around in the other room, and he almost had the urge to run out of the apartment when the doctor came back carrying a medical kit, the man's crazed expression making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Aren't you going to ask me anything else?"

Shinra hummed, happily pulling out a syringe from inside the kit. "I'm guessing some sort of drug, right?" He grabbed Shizuo's wrist and pushed the needle into the man's arm to get some blood for testing.

"I have no idea. He didn't inject me with anything."

"I'll figure it out eventually," Shinra chirped and he pulled out the needle a few moments later. He stared in wonder at the crimson liquid, happy that Shizuo was finally giving him permission to perform tests on him. "This should be enough for now."

Shizuo grabbed him by the tie and pulled him closer, eyes narrowing as he glared at the man. "If I catch you doing anything weird with that blood, I swear I'm going to kill you."

"Then I'm going to have to make sure that I don't get caught," Shinra snickered, realizing what a mistake it had been to say such a thing when Shizuo shook him a few times and almost banged their heads together, the man's cigarette almost burning his jaw.

"I'm NOT joking!" Shizuo growled and tightened his grip on Shinra's arm.

"Take it easy," the doctor yelped, a drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face. "I value my life, so I'll do as you say."

Shizuo shoved him away and got up, his murderous glare making the doctor cower away in fear. "Call me when you find something."

Shinra frantically nodded. "I will."

"Good," Shizuo mumbled as he opened the door and left the apartment. It was like he was not allowed to have any peace and quiet in his life, and he absolutely hated that. It was always something, and in this case it just happened to be Izaya again. _"Goddam flea, I hate him, I hate him so much!"_


	4. No Ordinary Man

Shizuo was surprisingly calm when he woke up the next morning. He knew that panicking or despairing would achieve nothing, and even though a part of him still wanted to rip Izaya apart, that was no longer an option. The balance of power had obviously tipped in the disgusting's louse favor the second Ikebukuro's beast lost his strength, because Izaya still had that annoying speed and agility while Shizuo himself was nothing more than an ordinary man. Well, not exactly ordinary, because his loss of strength didn't mean that his easily flammable anger had somehow diminished. In fact, it was perhaps even worse than before, but Shizuo could no longer punch a hole through a wall, nor lift his couch and throw it out the window in a fit of rage, so he opted for quietly drinking his milk while he contemplated how his life might change now that he no longer had his monstrous strength if he could somehow survived whatever it was that Izaya had used to poison him.

He was a bit worried about working as Tom's bodyguard without his strength, but when he remembered that he succeeded in bringing down the big guy from the previous day, he calmed down a bit. Even without it he wasn't so weak as to be forced to quit his job. It was true that he was now just like any other human when it came to strength, but unlike the average guys in Ikebukuro, he was pretty versed in the art of fighting. As much as he hated to admit, chasing Izaya around for so many years had served as good training, but at the same time it meant that if he had not been able to catch him in the past, his chances of catching him now were slim to none. The flea's agility made up for his lack of strength, and that's why Shizuo could never hurt him the way he wanted, but with him now being just another regular human, it meant that the disgusting flea had an advantage over him, which was bad news no matter how he looked at it. Shizuo always thought that it was his duty to protect Ikebukuro by not letting Izaya sink his dirty little claws in his Tokyo district, so it worried him to think that the louse was finally free to run amok on his territory.

He growled out loud at the thought and then sighed, knowing for a fact that he was powerless against the much more agile insect that was Orihara Izaya. Ikebukuro's inhabitants would have to take care of themselves for a while, at least until he figured out a way to get his strength back. If he couldn't though... _"I'll cross that bridge when I get there,"_ he thought dejectedly as he got up from the chair and went to wash the glass before turning around and going to get dressed. Normally he'd eat something too, like noddles, or some other junk food that he loved, but because of the things happening to him he had no appetite, not to mention that he ended up ruining another one of his bartender uniforms the day before, which pissed him off even more now that he thought about it. He grabbed a clean one from the closet and got dressed, then picked up his sunglasses and put them on. He had a feeling that it was going to be a very long day. Sighing again, he retrieved his cigarettes, lighter, keys and phone and walked out the door, locked it, and headed for the place where he was supposed to meet up with Tom.

He cringed as he remembered the events of the previous day and he wondered if perhaps his boss was now mad at him for leaving like that in the middle of work. That aside, he was sure that Tom was worried about him, because no matter how much Shizuo sometimes believed that he was an useless human being or monster that no one cared about, he knew that there were people who watched out for him even though he didn't exactly need their protection. He didn't often talk to his family, and even through his relationship with Kasuka grew a bit colder after his brother found out that he lost the job at the bar, he knew that Kasuka could never hate him. Lighting up a cigarette, he almost laughed when he saw a gang of delinquents move out of his way. If only they had known his legendary strength was gone, they would've been on him that very second. He wondered if he would be able to win if he fought all nine of them. While he used to be able to easily dispatch them into unconsciousness when he still had his strength, now he had serious doubts that it'd be the same. He pictured himself losing and actually laughed, the thought so crazy that he had a hard time believing it. Heiwajima Shizuo didn't know what it meant to lose against someone who wasn't Orihara Izaya, the flea being the only one who was ever a match for him. Well, that wasn't entirely true, because both Shishizaki and Simon could fight him on even ground, but he never really had any reason to start fights with them.

"Shizuo, are you all right?" Tom asked the moment he saw his employee. He couldn't help but be concerned by whatever it was that was happening to his friend, especially after he saw him having such a hard time beating up someone.

"Morning to you too," Shizuo grumbled and took one last drag before he dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it with the sole of his shoe, irritated to see someone worry over him. "I'm fine!" he sighed, exasperated.

Tom moved closer, his eyes fixed on Shizuo's face.

"What?" the bodyguard snapped.

Tom continued to stare, not at all affected by Shizuo's angry tone. "That's one nasty bruise you got there. Katashi got you good," he said, a bit amused, and then turned serious again as he looked Shizuo in the eyes. "What's really going on?"

Shizuo scowled but didn't answer and instead lit up another cigarette. _"Shit, it's this early in the morning and I'm already pissed off."_

"Shizuo...?' he tried again, but the man seemed to ignore him. Sighing, he took a seat on the nearest bench and motioned for Shizuo to sit down as well.

Shizuo's eye twitching in irritation but he followed Tom's anyway. "What do you wanna know?"

"What happened yesterday? No matter how I look at it, something was wrong with you."

"It's nothing important, don't worry about it," he said and blankly stared at the people passing by, the cigarette hanging loosely between his lips.

Judging by Shizuo's tense and rigid form, Tom knew that something was not right. He frowned, hating to bother Shizuo but knowing that he had to get to the bottom of whatever the hell was going on for both their sake. He couldn't remember ever seeing anyone besides Orihara Izaya giving Shizuo a hard time until the day before. Sighing, he continued to keep digging. "We've known each other for a long time."

Shizuo reluctantly grunted but nodded nonetheless.

"So I'm asking you as a friend, not as your boss... what's going on?" he asked but regretted it the moment Shizuo snapped his cigarette in two and gave him a wild glare.

"It's Izaya," Shizuo said through clenched teeth, "he did something to me."

"W-what did he do?" Tom asked, stuttering a bit. He knew better than to piss off Heiwajima Shizuo, even if they were old friends, or perhaps especially because of that.

"I don't know, but yesterday for example I couldn't uproot a street sign, and I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to lift a vending machine either."

Tom stared at him with his mouth agape, not knowing what to say. If he understood him correctly, then Shizuo's inhuman strength was gone, and considering how many enemies the man had, it was something to worry about. Random individuals as well as gangs had tried their luck at bringing down Ikebukuro's beast, and if any of those people found out that Shizuo was now not that different from them, they would most certainly jump at the opportunity to crush him once and for all. He was about to suggest that he take a few days off when the person he least expected to see showed up out of nowhere, his blood going cold at the thought of how things would explode in under a minute.

"Shi~izu-chan!" Izaya called his archenemy's name in a singsong voice as he approached the duo, inwardly laughing his ass off at their shocked and at the same time annoyed expressions, as though they had never in a million years expected to see him fearlessly show his face in Ikebukuro.

Shizuo jumped to his feet and stomped towards Izaya, the insect's smug expression not disappearing even after he clenched his fist into the bastard's black t-shirt and shook him a bit. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, more surprised at the fact that Izaya allowed himself to get captured.

Izaya smacked his hand and then sighed when the brute continued to glare at him without letting him go. "I'm just taking a stroll through Ikebukuro... just kidding! I'm here to see Shizu-chan, obviously," he chirped, the corners of his lips curling upwards into a disturbing smirk.

"I don't wanna see your ugly mug right now, so fuck off," he snarled and pushed Izaya away with as much strength as he could muster, making the flea almost lose his balance and fall on his ass. Somehow, that made him feel better. He turned around and stomped back to the bench where he sat down, arms folded in front of him as he glared daggers at the disgusting louse. Normally, he would've rejoiced at the opportunity to beat him up after getting his hands on him, but Shizuo had the impression that Izaya wouldn't allow himself to get caught if he didn't have a bunch of knives ready to slit open his throat.

Izaya chuckled in an attempt to hide his annoyance at being manhandled like that. Even without his inhuman strength, Heiwajima Shizuo was not someone to be taken lightly. In terms of strength, Shizuo was most likely still stronger than him, but Izaya's agility was far superior, which meant that, overall, Izaya had the advantage. Shizuo couldn't hit him if he couldn't catch him, and he could no longer throw objects of all shapes and sizes at him. For Izaya, it was almost too easy to bring the beast to his knees whenever he felt like it. He chuckled darkly and righted his t-shirt before he pulled out his phone and sent a message. Shoving his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, his eyes drifted over to Shizuo's boss. "Tanaka-san, I suggest you leave right now." Tom gave him a questioning look but didn't exactly ask anything, so Izaya shrugged and watched as the two men approaching the bench from behind grabbed Shizuo by the arms before they pulled him backwards and off the bench. "I did warn you, didn't I?" he chirped happily when Tom shot him a glare before throwing a punch at the man closest to him.

"IZAAAAYAAAAA!" Shizuo roared just as he punched one of the two men straight in the face, the idiot falling on his ass and tripping his partner who staggered backwards after receiving a kick to his gut from Tom. Turning livid eyes towards the insect, he watched as Izaya dashed away from him, and the urge to crush each and every bone in his body burned hot, even though he knew that he would most likely be unable to achieve such a feat. _"It doesn't matter,'_ he told himself as the chase through Ikebukuro's streets began, the accursed flea flying through obstacles as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Izaya laughed like crazy as he took a right and then dashed through a narrow alleyway, briefly glancing back to make sure that the brute was following him. He couldn't allow the protozoan to spoil the fun before it even began.

"IIIIZAAAAAYAAAAA!" Shizuo roared again, his unrestrained rage making him want to destroy the insect after the bastard flea dared to get Tom involved into one of their fights. It was one thing to target him, but to dare hurt his friends was an entirely different matter. Even if it was the flea, he should've known better than to mess with the people Shizuo cared about. Tom could've gotten badly hurt because of him, and while he blamed himself to some degree for what happened, the real culprit was none other than Orihara Izaya. His speed increased at that thought alone and he kept chasing the insect through narrows streets and alleys for a long time, not bothering to figure out where they were heading, too busy to not let the flea out of his sight to worry about his surroundings. It was only when Izaya suddenly stopped that Shizuo realized he was trapped between a few run-down apartment buildings, men with bats, crowbars and all sorts of deadly objects closing in on them.

"Those men from earlier were merely the bait," Izaya chuckled as he swirled around, his eyes falling on Shizuo's confused expression. "Do you like my present?" he asked and then laughed when Shizuo took a drag from the just lit up cigarette dangling between his lips.

"I should've known better," Shizuo sneered, now surrounded from all sides by men armed to their teeth. "How much did you pay them?"

"Indeed you should've," Izaya chortled and moved closer to one of them, "but you are wrong about one thing. I didn't pay them anything, I simply showed them the video of you failing to uproot that street sign from yesterday. You see, Takahiro here got both his arms broken by you; Noburo only one arm. You broke both of Kiyoshi's legs and his left arm, while Jirou here barely escaped with his life after you repeatedly slammed his head into a wall," Izaya revealed as he moved from one man to another. "Everyone here ended up in the hospital because of you at some point or another, so you see, it's about time you pay for your acts of violence." Turning around, he was allowed free passage, leaving behind what appeared to be a compact mass of heavily armed men. "Shizu-chan, try not to die," he added just before he went up some stairs in order to get a better view of the fight below.

The men surrounding Shizuo started spewing insults and waving around their weapons, a sort of murderous frenzy taking over the crowd at the thought of crushing Ikebukuro's beast with their own hands.

"Fucking die, mother fucker!"

"Now it's my turn to break your legs!"

"I'm gonna break your fingers one by one, bastard!"

"Your time to scream now!"

Shizuo snapped the cigarette in two before throwing it away and assuming a fighting stance, aware that the odds were not in his favor. He counted at least a dozen before he was distracted by a fist flying towards him which he had to duck in order to avoid getting his face smashed in by this gorilla-looking guy who he remembered beating up before. That didn't save him however from the crowbar hitting his side, nor the wooden bat which broke when it hit his head. The men around him stopped and stared in awe at him. Most humans would've lost consciousness from such a blow to the head, but he was not like most humans, he was Heiwajima Shizuo, and a baseball bat to the head hardly made him bat an eyelash. Turning around, he looked at the man staring dumbly at the broken piece of wood. "You just went for my head, didn't you? You know you could kill someone by hitting a vital spot in their head, right? If you know this, then you were trying to kill me, right? So now you shouldn't complain no matter what I do to you," he said and punched the guy so hard that he staggered backwards and bumped into two other guys, all three of them falling to the ground like domino pieces.

Izaya whistled. "That's Shizu-chan for you! Once a beast, always a beast. Even when he's weak, he's not actually weak," he mused, as he watched another wave of humans attacking the brute. This was only the first stage in his plan of crushing the beast, because once these men finished beating him to a bloody pulp, they would spread the word about Shizuo's loss of strength, and almost everyone who the protozoan ever beat up would soon come seeking retribution. If things went according to plan, and they usually did, then Heiwajima Shizuo would eventually have no choice but to abandon Tokyo if he wanted to keep his life, leaving Izaya to freely roam Ikebukuro's streets to his heart's content. A loud crunch followed by a loud shrill woke him up from his musing and he looked just in time to see one of the men moving away from the crowd while cradling his broken arm. Izaya sneered at the pathetic display, tempted to break his other arm just for being a weakling who couldn't even handle Shizuo with an army backing him up. _"I love humans,"_ he told himself, _"but sometimes I just want to crush them."_

Ironically enough, all those times Shizuo ended up chasing Izaya around seemed to help, because he found himself easily dodging most of the hits the men threw at him. Fighting the flea had him doubting his strength as a normal human being, but the bastard was not normal to begin with, so it was only natural that he couldn't keep up with his agility. As he fought those men though he noticed with no little amount of surprise that compared to Izaya, it was like they were moving in slow-motion. That is not to say he wasn't getting hit at all, the proof being his more than a few broken ribs and the huge amount of blood streaming down the side of his head, but it was still not that different from his usual fights. He couldn't make the bastards fly the same way he used to, but he was still strong enough to knock out a few of them after only a few hits. He felt a metal bat connect with his shoulder and he groaned, his battered body finally starting to feel some of the pain they were viciously inflicting on him. Feeling completely annoyed about the whole thing, he elbowed his attacker in the face with a vengeance, the blow so hard that the man's nose broke with a sickening crunch. As expected, the idiot immediately started screaming and crying about his broken nose, pissing off a few of his pals who pushed him aside so that he wouldn't block their paths. "Is this all you can do?" Shizuo sneered after he somehow got his hands on a crowbar and hit a guy so hard that he knocked him out. He laughed when a few of them started calling him a monster, and that seemed to piss them off enough to make them pull out their knives, a couple of them slicing his shoulder and arms the moment another bat slammed into his head hard enough to make his vision waver. Stunned by the vicious blow, he couldn't defend himself when another bat smashed into his knee, so he collapsed on the ground in pain, his body screaming in agony when something sharp sank into his back. He hissed, realizing that he had just been stabbed, the wound gushing blood the second the blade was pulled out.

"Just die already, bastard! No one wants a monster like you in Ikebukuro!"

"True that!"

"I'm gonna bash your head until your skull caves in," the one called Jirou threatened, still pissed off about that time when Shizuo almost killed him after repeatedly slamming his head into a wall for being unable to pay the money he owed. He raised the baseball bat he was holding, ready to deliver the crushing blow that would bring him closer to ending the beast's life once and for all.

Izaya had quietly watched until then, thoroughly enjoying the show, but the moment he saw that Shizuo's life was in imminent danger he realized that he didn't exactly want to see the brute die by the hands of such lowly humans. His eyes narrowed in irritation and he walked down the stairs and towards the crowd of people surrounding the fallen beast, the men moving aside and allowing him free passage. "So Shizu-chan is human after all," he said and watched the man struggling to get up.

"F-fuck you," Shizuo cursed weakly, the barely audible insult making his attackers laugh, as though he was nothing more than garbage they could dispose of at a moment's notice. His mind went blank with fury and he attacked, droplets of blood spraying into the air as he wildly fought to land a hit on Izaya, his desire to crush the insect once and for all overriding any kind of pain his body was in.

"Move aside! Move!" Izaya ordered the men so that he could give the beast what his heart most desired. "I'm all yours, Shizu-chan," he goaded him in and then ducked a blow just as Shizuo's fist came flying above his head, the obviously enraged man not yet realizing that Izaya was just playing with him. No matter what kind of monster Shizuo was, he still bled, and blood loss was still blood loss, the injury to the head and the stab wound to his back, as well as the numerous slashes all over his body allowing the crimson liquid to freely flow out. It was obvious that at that point Shizuo was simply fighting on instinct, and a part of him couldn't help but experience awe at the way in which the brute that was now a more human version of Heiwajima Shizuo pushed himself past his limits. The man was a beast, and not just because of his inhuman strength, but also because his mind and body didn't know when to give up. The idiots around them started to cheer him on, and that pissed Izaya off so much that he took it out on Shizuo by punching him so hard that he sent him flying into some random guy's arms who used the opportunity to hold him tightly while two others grabbed his arms in order to restrain him.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" the crowd chanted in a frenzy, their thirst for blood not yet satisfied.

Izaya watched with disgust at how hard the men holding Shizuo were struggling to keep him there, and it crossed his mind that such people were not worthy of even touching Ikebukuro's beast with their filthy hands. "Let him go," he ordered, hoping that his voice didn't betray the displeasure he felt.

"Kill him already!"

"Break his fingers!"

"Gauge his eyes out!"

"Break every bone in his body!"

"Stab him to death!" the crowd demanded.

Izaya glared at them with livid eyes, their disgusting words making him want to cut them all into tiny pieces. He should've foreseen that bringing together a bunch of idiots would make the mob mentality emerge. "Leave!" he demanded, but no one seemed to pay any attention to him because they kept yelling profanities and suggesting different ways to kill Shizuo. "LEAVE!" Izaya roared, his switchblade dangerously pushing into the neck of a man who had just finished stabbing Shizuo in the stomach.

"What the hell?"

"Just fucking kill him already."

"This is bullshit, just kill him."

"Kill him!"

Izaya's eyes narrowed into slits and he glared daggers at each and every one of them who dared to open their mouths. "I don't think you've heard me right, so let me say it again. LEAVE!" He expected many things to happen, like getting insulted or outright ignored, but what he didn't expect was for the crowd of ungrateful humans to attack him. "Shizu-chan!" he called, hoping that the beast would come back from wherever his mind was wandering. "SHIZU-CHAN! Wake up and fight these bastards if you don't want to die and make Kasuka sad!"

The mention of Kasuka's name snapped Shizuo from his mindless rage towards Izaya because he seemed to finally realize what was happening. He almost laughed at the irony of the situation as he watched Izaya fight the scumbags he had brought there himself, but he held it in and instead used the opportunity to free himself the moment the insect attacked one of the people holding him captive. "You do know how stupid this makes you look, don't you, flea?" he asked as they both started fighting the men surrounding them instead of fighting each other.

"Tch!" was Izaya's answer as he slashed at another guy's forearm, the man immediately crying out in pain and running out of the crowd. He never imagined that he would ever be fighting side by side with Shizuo, but he couldn't deny that he was having fun seeing the cockroaches surrounding them dropping on the ground like the useless insects that they were. He loved humans, he really did, but that didn't mean he would allow his humans to think they were above his god. No one challenged him and got away with it. Ironically enough, the god seemed to be making a surprisingly good team with the beast, because not even five minutes later the ground was littered with crying and cursing men who hadn't known when to retreat. _"The sight is rather amusing,"_ he had to admit, because never before had he been forced to fight so many people at the same time. That was Shizuo's brutish way of dealing with things, not his.

"Your turn now to bite the dust," Shizuo growled low as he convulsively flexed his hands, feeling faint from the blood loss but refusing to pass out before crushing to minced meat the annoying insect before him.

Izaya giggled and stepped over a few men before motioning for Shizuo to follow. "First Shinra, then we'll talk." He heard Shizuo mutter something under his breath and he laughed, not exactly caring what new colorful insults the beast was throwing at him. "Hey, Shizu-chan, wasn't that fun?" he chirped and then hummed an indistinguishable song while prancing through the narrow alley which lead to the street.

"Fuck you!" Shizuo said in a much lower voice than he'd hoped. The truth was that he was feeling like shit, and he hated having to put up with Izaya, but the bastard was right when he suggested going to Shinra's place. "You're a disgusting, fucked up flea and I hope that you'll drop dead one of these days; the sooner the better," he added, just because he was pissed off at Izaya for once again getting people to attack him.

"Aww, Shizu-chan is being so rude!"

"And Iza-chan is being fucking retarded."

Izaya chuckled but didn't rise to the bait. _"Oh, Shizu-chan, just when I was hoping that you would bore me enough to make me lose my interest in you. I hope your monstrous body heals soon so that we can play some more,"_ he thought as they headed together towards the doctor's apartment. _"Try not to die too soon, ne?"_


	5. Made Of Storm

The two of them slowly made their way towards Shinra's apartment, Shizuo's blood loss making it hard for him to keep up with the energetic Izaya. Looking downwards, he cringed, the amount of blood tainting his bartender suit telling him that the stab wounds were worse than he'd originally thought. He raised his head and looked at Izaya, the man's impatient expression and folded arms making him want to punch him even more. "Don't look at me like that!" he snapped, his outburst increasing his already splitting headache.

"But Shizu-chan is walking at a snail's pace," Izaya complained, but then his pout turned into a vicious, mocking smirk. "Why don't you lean on me, hmm? That'd certainly speed-up your pace."

"I'd rather crawl there!" Shizuo growled through clenched teeth, his hands trembling as he balled them into fists. "Besides, this is all your fault."

Instead of increasing the distance between them, Izaya moved closer and pointed to his shoulder. "You can either accept my help or you can stay here and bleed to death in the middle of the street. Your choice."

Trying his hardest to not completely lose his temper, he pushed Izaya away and continued to walk towards Shinra's apartment, barely restraining himself from turning around and crashing a fist into the man's annoying face for mocking him even though he was the one at fault. Luckily, they were nearing the apartment building, and he felt confident enough to be able to get there before passing out from blood loss.

"Shizu-chan is just as monstrous even without his inhuman strength," Izaya chirped and then laughed when it looked like Ikebukuro's beast was about to collapse, "but even he can't fight nature. Blood loss is still blood loss, Shizu-chan," he teased him right before he grabbed an arm and hooked it over his shoulders, completely ignoring the murderous glare thrown his way.

"Let go," Shizuo growled in a low, dangerous tone as he tried to pull back his arm, but Izaya only tightened the hold around his wrist and shook his head.

"There is no way I am carrying an unconscious Shizu-chan all the way up to Shinra's apartment."

"Flea!" Shizuo snapped and banged their heads together, a thoughtless action he immediately regretted when he saw black spots appear at the edges of his awareness.

"Stupid beast!" Izaya hissed and bit Shizuo's hand, thoroughly enjoying the pained noise that accompanied the unconventional attack. "Do you really want me to end your miserable life?" he then asked in a threatening tone. "You know I won't hesitate to do it. You're not one of my humans; you're just a dumb beast after all."

Despite the burning need to insult the bastard, Shizuo bit his tongue, swallowed his pride, and kept quiet the rest of the way.

"Finally," Izaya grunted as he banged his foot against the doctor's door. "You're really heavy, Shizu-chan. Maybe you should lose some weight," he suggested, the beast's pathetic growl making him chuckle. "Ah, Shinra, could you please get this _thing_ off my hands?" he politely requested as he stared at a gaping, wide-eyed Shinra who in the meantime had opened the door. "Well...?"

"Oh, yes, sure," Shinra hurried to answer as soon as he woke up from his stupor. He hooked Shizuo's other arm over his shoulder and with Izaya's help they carried him to the living room. "Wait, not yet!" Shinra cried out when Izaya was about to dump Shizuo on the couch. Ignoring the glare burning holes into him, he unhooked Shizuo's arm and rushed to the bedroom to pick up a few towels before running back to the living room and laying them on the couch. "Now you can let him go."

"'bout time!" Izaya complained, and with Shinra's help they laid Shizuo on the couch before the doctor went to retrieve the medical kit.

"What happened?" Shinra asked and took out the things he needed to clean, sew and bandage the cuts.

"Izaya's stupidity happened," Shizuo groaned and allowed his head to fall backwards as he reclined against the couch.

"Mob mentality happened," Izaya corrected him.

Shinra blinked a few times before he shook his head and proceeded to take off Shizuo's vest and shirt.

"This idiot sent an angry mob after me," Shizuo complained. Grunting, he shoved a hand into the right pocket of his pants and pulled out his cigarettes and the lighter, not expecting the disgusting insect hovering over him to snatch them from his hands. "What the fuck, flea?! Give that back!" he demanded, but Izaya ignored his request and instead went and dropped them into the trash can. "I'll fucking kill you!" Shizuo roared and tried to get up, only to fall back on the couch because of how dizzy and weak he felt. Realizing that he lacked the energy to go after Izaya, he sighed out loud and blankly stared at the ceiling. "I hate this bastard," he grumbled, but Shinra only shook his head and continued to work on disinfecting the wounds.

Izaya ignored them and went to the bathroom to clean Shizuo's blood off his obviously superior person. Carefully, he took the jacket off and placed it on the edge of the tub, glaring at the blood staining the fur as he did so. He had a spare jacket, but he hoped that he could get this one cleaned up because it was his favorite and he didn't like the idea of disposing of it after the beast's blood had soaked into the material. "Beasts shouldn't bleed," he grumbled and turned on the faucet to wash the blood off his face, neck and hands. Some of the blood had seeped through the jacket's material and into his v-neck t-shirt, and Izaya sighed once again as he crossed his arms, grabbed the hem, pulled it off and dropped it on top of the jacket. He then scrubbed his face before he moved on to the neck, all the while wondering what had gotten into him to make him jump in to save Shizuo. It would've benefited him if the brute had died, because then he could easily conduct his business in Ikebukuro without having to look over his shoulder every step of the way. "Orihara Izaya, what were you thinking?" he asked the reflection in the mirror. "Tch!" he then exclaimed at the sight of his slightly bruised right eye and went back to cleaning himself up. He scrubbed the beast's blood off his neck with a vengeance, and once he finished he reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small bottle of antiseptics to disinfect his bleeding knuckles. It didn't look bad enough to require bandages, so he moved away from the sink and sat down on the edge of the tub as he contemplated the events that led to him saving Shizuo's life.

He'd always assumed that he would enjoy to see the beast fall, because each time he'd imagined it, he was the one finishing him off, so he couldn't have been more surprised when he realized how bothered he'd felt at the prospect of _his_ beast being killed off by a mob of angry humans. It would've almost been a sin to allow the magnificent beast that was Heiwajima Shizuo to die by their hands. Izaya might've not liked Shizuo, especially when he saw him as something lower than humans, but that didn't mean he would not recognize his strength. If anything, Shizuo was the monster that complemented him as a god. His eyes drifted to the bloody clothes and he made a sound of annoyance before he pushed himself up, walked out of the bathroom and went into Shinra's bedroom. He rummaged through the man's closet and drawers without hesitation until he found a set of black clothes that he thought would look good at him. Smirking to himself, he put them on and sat on the bed. He too had been hit pretty hard in a few places, and he cringed as he rolled to the side and curled in on himself, feeling the need to just rest for a few minutes before going back to work.

"Izaya, where are you?" he heard Shinra's voice a few minutes later, and he sighed before he got up and walked out of the bedroom. "What do you want?"

"Are you wearing my clothes?" Shinra asked, his hand freezing in mid-air on its way to add one more suture to Shizuo's stomach wound.

Izaya made his way to the armchair and sat down. "Is that a problem?"

"You didn't ask for permission," Shinra grumbled and went back to sewing.

Izaya chuckled as he watched the beast glare at him from where he was sitting on the couch before his attention went back to Shinra. "I'm surprised you're surprised that I didn't ask for permission."

"Whatever!" Shinra snapped. "Shizuo here says you tried to kill him again. Is that true?" he asked without looking at him.

"Shizu-chan is a liar. I did no such a thing!" he denied vehemently and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm going to go ahead and take a wild guess and say that he also accused me of being the one who somehow made him lose his strength, am I right?" He saw Shinra nod and he rolled his eyes. "Of course he did."

Shizuo, who until then had stayed quiet, let out a deep growl. "Stop denying it, you goddam pest! Everyone knows that you're a lying piece of shit," he barked, barely restraining himself from getting up and marching over there to wipe the disgusting smirk off that smug face.

"Can you two please calm down?" Shinra requested with a nervous laugh.

"How can I calm down when I almost got killed because of this bastard?!" Shizuo snarled, the anger burning in his eyes making Shinra back away a bit, and he was about to get up and attack Izaya when he felt black smoky shadows envelop his arms and shoulders. Infinitesimally calmer now, he rotated his head, Celty's PDA immediately getting shoved into his face.

[ If you two want to fight, then do it outside. ]

Shizuo cringed before glaring at Izaya again. "I'm sorry, Celty, but he makes me so mad! The bastard just tried to get me killed again!" he complained, hoping that his friend would forgive him for trying to start a fight inside her apartment. Slowly, the black smoke retracted and he watched Celty walk over to Izaya, her arms folder across her chest as she tapped a foot on the floor and waited for Izaya to explain himself.

Izaya merely shrugged and went to get a glass of water, Celty glaring holes into the back of his head the whole time. "I admit that I lured Shizu-chan towards a mob of angry humans, but I did not expect those fools to lose themselves to the mob mentality and try to kill him. As for the other thing, I am not responsible for the loss of his strength. If I were, I would have admitted right away. It'd be an amazing feat, don't you agree, Courier-san?"

Celty was so shocked by the news that she rushed to Shizuo's side and started typing away on her PDA, barely giving her friend any time to answer before new questions popped on the screen.

[ What did he mean when he said you lost your strength? ]

"I can't lift heavy objects any―"

[ How is that even possible? ]

"I don't really―"

[ Is Izaya really responsible for this? ]

"That's what I think, but―"

[ Are you ok? Do you want me to throw him out? ]

"Celty! Calm down!" he told her and gently squeezed her shoulder. "I'm fine."

[ You look so pale... ] she wrote and then cupped his face.

Izaya snorted at the almost loving display while Shinra shrieked in horror and pushed the two of them apart. "Celty love, c-could you please give us s-some space? T-thanks!" he stuttered pathetically as he fumbled with the bandages.

Celty nodded and made her way towards Izaya. [ What did you do to him? ]

Izaya heard himself sigh for the umpteenth time that day and rolled his eyes. "Is it so hard to believe that I'm not the one responsible for whatever is happening to him? Don't you think I'd at least take credit for it? Hmm, I'm pretty sure that I'd probably be gloating," he reluctantly admitted.

[ What about the stab wound? ]

"Stab _wounds,_" Izaya corrected her. "That was an unfortunate incident. Like I've said before, I did not expect the mob mentality to emerge. If it weren't for me, Shizu-chan would be dead right now. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," he stated calmly and tried to walk away, only to stop when Celty grabbed his arm.

[ If it turns out you're responsible, I will make sure you pay for it. ]

Tilting his head, he looked at the tense Dullahan beside him with a smile on his face. "You do that, Courier-san," he said sweetly as he jerked his arm out of her hold. "I'll pass by tomorrow to pick up my clothes and to bring back yours," he informed Shinra as he passed him by and walked out of the apartment.

"Finally," Shizuo mumbled and inclined his head to check the newly bandaged stab wound. "Thanks, Shinra."

"If you want to thank me, then pay me for my services," Shinra said in a half-joking, half-serious tone.

Shizuo awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "I'm still struggling to pay some of the damages I've caused the past few months."

Celty smacked Shinra in the head and then grabbed his ear and lightly twisted it. [ How can you ask for money from a friend?! ]

"He's _your_ friend!" he told her, and then corrected himself in a strained voice after she punched him in the stomach. "I'm sorry! Ok? I was just joking. Ahh ha ha ha!"

Shizuo watched their banter without realizing that he was smiling. "I promise to pay as soon as I can." He then lowered his head and gazed at his wounded knuckles. "I don't think that'll be a problem now that my strength is gone."

Celty turned to Shinra. [ Any idea why this is happening to him? ]

"No clue, but I took some blood and I'm testing it for anything out of the ordinary." He then gathered his things and got up, but not before grabbing Shizuo's arm and pulling him further away from Celty.

"Really now?" Shizuo asked in a tired voice as he got up. "I'm going home, so I'll talk to you later."

[ Let me give you a ride! ]

"Thanks."

"No!" Shinra complained and grabbed Celty's shoulder before he snapped his head in Shizuo's direction and glared at him. "Don't touch my Celty!"

[ What's wrong with you today? ] she asked him and then punched him in the stomach again, leaving him there to moan in agony while she picked up Shizuo's clothes and the two of them walked out of the apartment, ignoring the crying idiot they had left behind.

[ Let me help you, ] she offered and gave him a hand in putting back the blood-stained clothes after he begrudgingly accepted her aid.

"Thanks, Celty."

She nodded and they both walked out of the apartment building and got on her bike. Shizuo cringed at the memory of Shinra pushing them apart from one another and instead of wrapping his arms around her waist, he held on to her shoulders. She questioningly tipped her helmet and he grunted. "I don't want to get Shinra mad, especially now that I'm letting him shove needles into my arms." Her shoulders jerked in silence laughter for a few moments before she rove off, all the while Shizuo fighting to not grunt in pain because of his broken ribs.

His mind replayed the previous events and he wondered why Izaya would step in to save him. The pest should've rejoiced at the opportunity to get rid of him, and yet he risked his own life to save him. It didn't make any sense, and Shizuo made up his mind to ask him about it the next time they met. Without thinking, he tightened his grip on Celty's shoulders, and he almost fell off the bike when he realized what he was doing, only to remember in time that he no longer had his monstrous strength. "Can you pull over for a minute?" he requested when Celty slowed down at the intersection. "I don't have any food left, so I want to buy something."

As soon as they stopped, she tilted her helmet and inspected him. [ You're going in like this? ]

"I have no choice," he shrugged.

[ Tell me what you need and I'll go buy it for you. ]

"Instant ramen and some... pudding or chocolate... or both," he mused as he pulled out his wallet. "Yeah, pudding _and_ chocolate, 'cause I've had a shitty day."

Celty's shoulders jerked in silent laughter once again as she took the bills and she went into the store.

Shizuo slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants and waited, his stomach growling for the umpteenth time in the last hour as if to remind him just how hungry he was. Celty was still inside when his phone rang, and he did his best to convince Tom that he was all right.

[ Is this ok? ] she asked once she came back and handed him the small plastic bag.

"Perfect," he answered with a small smile on his face and they both got on the bike again, this time around Shizuo's mind too preoccupied with thoughts of food to worry about Izaya, at least until they stopped in front of his apartment building and he remembered why Celty had brought him home to begin with. "Thanks for the ride, and if Shinra asks, I held on to your shoulders, ok?"

[ I don't know what's wrong with him lately... ]

"Hasn't he always been this way?" Shizuo snorted.

[ Every time I have to go out, he complains that we don't spend enough time together, ] she typed with a little more force than necessary, frustration having built over the course of a few days.

Shizuo barely suppressed the snicker threatening to come out. "Good luck with that... you're gonna need it."

As soon as he entered his apartment, he set the small plastic bag on the coffee table and rushed to the bathroom to wash so that he could then eat and relax while watching some TV. He gingerly took off his clothes and threw them into the bathtub before he sighed and proceeded to slowly wash off the blood with a towel because he couldn't get the stitches wet. "That bastard flea," he hissed through clenched teeth when his eyes fell on the now bloody and ruined clothes. "I'm going to break his neck tomorrow." He always got mad when one of the uniforms he had gotten from Kasuka got ruined, and this time around he was more pissed off than usual because it was Izaya's fault. Cursing under his breath, he went into the bedroom, picked a pair of sweatpants and put them on.

He kept cursing his archenemy as he ate the ramen, not paying any attention to what was on TV. It was only after he dug into the pudding and the chocolate that he finally relaxed enough to enjoy the action movie he was watching. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that he'd probably have to fight a lot more people from there on.


	6. Cornered

Despite the injuries he'd gotten the previous afternoon, Shizuo still went to work the next day. He didn't tell Tom anything about the stab wounds or the broken ribs, confident that he could handle himself if he got attacked again. In fact, he had no doubts that he could beat up a guy or two if need be.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tom asked for the umpteenth time.

Shizuo only nodded this time around, tired of trying to convince his friend that he needn't worry about him. Just because he'd been injured, it didn't mean that he would skip work.

Things were looking well as they went through the first two names on the list, but their third client kept begging Tom to give him a few more days, even after they had already given him a whole week. Shizuo lost his tempter not even two minutes after the man started whining, and as he raised a fist and crashed it into the skinny face, he couldn't help a pained grunt from slipping past his lips when his knuckles made contact with the man's sharp features. Tom gave him a worried look, but Shizuo simply shrugged it off and walked away, leaving his friend to deal with the man; he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from hitting that guy again if he continued to stay there.

He reclined against the wall outside the man's apartment and lit up a cigarette. No matter how much he tried to figure out why Izaya did what he did, he still couldn't understand why the flea had saved him. Saying that he did it because he was not yet done playing with him seemed like a lazy answer, especially when he knew how much Izaya wanted him out of picture. The pest risking his own life to save him was most puzzling, and Shizuo was almost tempted to go find Izaya and ask him why he did it, even though he had doubts that the insect would tell him anything. Sighing loudly, he took another drag from the cigarette and tried to chase away any thoughts related to Izaya. He really needed to clear his mind so that he'd stop thinking about the bastard who kept messing up his already messed up life.

By the time Shizuo had finished smoking the cigarette, Tom stepped out of the apartment with a large amount of money in his hands. "He had the money. Good thing we got here before he gambled them away."

"Tch! Of course he had the money. I hate people like him the most. They have no self-control."

Tom struggled to not break into laughter. "You certainly know much about self-control," he said with a smile on his face, and then he really ended up laughing when Shizuo lowered his head in shame and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Your lack of restraint is what got you working for me, so I'm not complaining." He gave Shizuo a pat on the back before hooking an arm around his neck and pulling him away from the apartment. "Let's take a break and get some coffee. Well, I'll get the coffee, you get whatever you want."

Shizuo's eyes immediately lit up. "Sounds good." Luckily, the blond knew the perfect place, and it wasn't even that far away. "Follow me."

The place was a small shop near the park, so after they got the icecream and the coffee, they went to sit on a bench.

"So what exactly happened yesterday?"

"What?"

Tom tilted his head to the side, his eyes fixed on the bruises marring Shizuo's face. "Did Izaya do this to you?"

Shizuo snorted and took a swipe at the icecream, the heavenly taste almost canceling out the bitterness he felt at knowing that Izaya was indeed responsible for the bruises on his face ― even if indirectly. "The flea doesn't have the strength to do this," he said in order to convince himself more than anyone else. Izaya had not only blocked his fist but also succeeded in kicking him to the ground a few days prior, and that burned Shizuo's pride a lot more than he wanted to admit. Shizuo's only advantage over Izaya had been his strength, but with that gone, he had no effective means to combat the insect with inhuman speed.

"Then who―"

"Look, I don't wanna talk 'bout it right now," he tried, and when Tom nodded, Shizuo was grateful to his friend fo heeding his request.

They spent the rest of the break in silence, until Tom finished his coffee and Shizuo his icecream and they both went back to work. They were just about to cross the street to see the next person on their list when Shizuo felt a hand on his shoulder and he snapped his head to the side, honey-brown eyes meeting the rusty-red orbs of his enemy. He nearly shuddered in disgust when he realized whose hand it was, but he pushed down the revulsion and tried to take a swing at the bastard smirking at him.

Instead of evading it and running away like he usually did, Izaya blocked the fist with one hand and grabbed Shizuo by the throat with the other, the force behind the blond's swing having been greatly diminished by the many injuries on his body. "That's not how you greet someone, Shizu-chan," he told his enemy in mock-disappointment. "What did your parents teach you as a child?"

"More than yours ever taught you," Shizuo bit back as he grabbed Izaya's wrist with his other hand and pushed him away, the flea's hold on his neck easily slipping away.

"By your logic, it's your parents' fault for the way you turned out." As expected, Shizuo tried to hit him again, but before Izaya even had a chance to flick open his switchblade, Tom stepped between them.

"I would appreciate it if you two stopped this. We still have work to do, and you, Orihara-san, are wasting our time right now," the older of the three said.

Izaya sighed softly before he slipped the switchblade back into his jacket pocket. "I need a few minutes alone with Shizu-chan, if you don't mind, Tanaka-san," he requested and then watched the man nod and walk away.

"I don't care what you have to say," Shizuo announced with a hateful glare as he started walking away, only to stop in his tracks when Izaya spoke again.

"I suggest you listen to what I have to say, unless you're in a rush towards an untimely death."

"Are you threatening me?" Shizuo hissed, but Izaya shook his head.

"No. Follow me."

"Like hell I will!" Shizuo barked, hands balled into fists. "'specially after the stunt you pulled yesterday."

Izaya shrugged. "Fine, then I'll follow you. Just get us someplace where we can talk in private," he suggested and smirked when the fake blond mumbled a few curses before leading him towards a nearby alley.

"Whadya want, bastard? Haven't you done enough damage already?" Shizuo asked as soon as they got there.

"The rumors about your loss of strength are starting to spread through the chatrooms, which means that soon enough, more people will come looking for you," Izaya informed him, his earlier smirk gone.

"And whose fault is that, huh?" Shizuo snapped and lit up a cigarette.

"Partially my fault, yes," Izaya admitted.

Shizuo took a lungful of smoke before blowing it into the insect's face, Izaya's eyes watering as he struggled to breathe. "This is exactly what you wanted, so why are you warning me about it? Don't tell me it's out of the goodness of your heart, because I'm not buying it."

Izaya burst into laughter even as he was coughing, and Shizuo felt the beginning of a headache as a result of the annoying sounds coming from the Informant.

"Of course not," Izaya said once he was able to breathe again, and in the next moment he snatched the cigarette out of Shizuo's hand and pinned the blond to the dirty wall behind him, the man letting out a pained grunt when his injured body made contact with the hard surface.

"'the hell you doing?" Shizuo snarled and raised an arm to push Izaya away, but his hand froze in mid-air when the still burning cigarette was nearly shoved into his right eye.

"As it turns out, I don't like the idea of other people messing with my prey, and you Shizu-chan, are _my prey,"_ Izaya declared, eyes glowing dangerously.

Shizuo couldn't stop a wild shudder from traveling through his body at the sight of Izaya's crazed expression. He'd always known that Izaya was messed up in the head, but for the first time since he'd met the man, he could see a glimpse of the madness beneath the usual craziness that was Orihara Izaya.

"You really are a fucking psycho," Shizuo said, his throat so dry that he found it painful to swallow, the heat beside his eye only serving to harden his belief that Izaya had a few loose screws in his head.

"I am who I am, and there is nothing wrong with that," Izaya smirked and pulled away from Shizuo before letting the cigarette fall to the ground and stepping on it. "Well, I'm off for now. I'll see ya around," he added with a wave of his hand before he disappeared around the corner.

Shizuo's eyes fell upon the crushed cigarette and he cursed Izaya under his breath before pulling out another one and lighting it up. He then slipped his hands into his pants pockets and frowned, feeling completely unhappy about the whole situation. He doubted he could ever get used to Izaya overpowering him, and he hoped that his strength would soon return because he was starting to worry about his safety now that the word about his loss of inhuman strength was out. He felt horrible for always disappointing his family, and even though he sometimes thought they would've been better off without him, he had no doubt they'd be sad if something bad were to happen to him. He would have to be careful.

With that thought in mind, he headed towards the next guy on the list, knowing that Tom would wait for him there. They didn't run into any sort of troubles with the man they visited, but the guy they went to next must've gotten wind of the news because he laughed in Shizuo's face and attacked him.

"Just because you don't have your inhuman strength anymore, it doesn't mean you don't have any strength at all," Tom remarked right after he finished counting the money the man so graciously gave him after getting his ass kicked by the two debt collectors.

"Yeah, some people really are that stupid," Shizuo mumbled and wiped the blood off his lips. The guy had been quite weak, but he still managed to land a good hit before Shizuo crashed a knee into his chest and Tom took it from there.

"Go home and rest, we're done for the day." After seeing Shizuo fight, Tom realized that his friend was hurt a lot worse than he let on, those bruises on the blond's face most likely being just the tip of the iceberg.

Shizuo tilted his head to the side, confused. "I thought we still had two more guys to see."

"I have some business to take care of. It can await until tomorrow," Tom lied.

"'kay. See ya," Shizuo certainly didn't mind some much needed rest, especially after the bad news Izaya had delivered. "Tch!" he sneered out loud and angrily chewed on the cigarette he was smoking as he made his way to his apartment. He was no one's prey, especially not Izaya's, the thought alone making his hackles rise and his brow twitch in annoyance. He was really starting to miss his strength, if only for the sole reason that it kept Izaya at a reasonable distance from him, as opposed to the new situation with the flea always being in his face and grabbing him as though he no longer saw him as a threat.

As he was passing by one of the vending machines near his apartment building, he was grabbed by the arm and pulled past it and behind a store, his eyes first widening in surprise and then narrowing in irritation when Izaya shoved him into the wall and clasped a hand over his mouth. "Mmmm-Hrrrmmmpfff!"

"Shh! There are people looking for you all over Ikebukuro," Izaya said softly so that he wouldn't be heard by the people passing by. "A big group is waiting for you in front of your apartment. I'll let you go now, but don't shout, okay?"

Shizuo nodded and waited for Izaya to back away. No matter how pissed off he was at the flea, it looked like he had bigger problems to worry about. "How did they find out where I live? Wait... did you give them the address, you goddam louse?"

Izaya raised both hands in a placating gesture. "Not this time. Besides, it's not like your home address was a state secret. Once someone leaked the information online, it spread like wildfire, and now many of the people you've beat up over the years have come here seeking retribution." As if to prove how much of a protozoan he was, Shizuo threw him a nasty glare and moved to get out of the small place behind the store, but Izaya grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back in. "You can't take all of them on! Hey, are you listening to me?" he almost hissed when Shizuo tried to break free.

"I didn't know you cared so much," Shizuo gasped in mock-surprise before answering seriously. "I'll see if Tom will let me crash at his place for the night."

Izaya released Shizuo and folded his arms across his chest. "I advise against it. Last time I checked the chatroom, they were trying to find your friends. Going there might put him in danger."

Without a word, Shizuo stepped into the open. Izaya followed after him, immediately spotting a group of angry men running in their direction. "Meet me at the train station," he told Shizuo before flicking open his switchblade and pretending to attack him. "Run, Shizu-chan," he urged him, and Shizuo did so when he finally noticed the men heading in his direction. He didn't like the idea of running away, but the many sharp objects they were carrying left him with no other choice but to heed Izaya's request and head towards the nearest station. Izaya too pretended to run after him for a while, but Shizuo knew Ikebukuro like the palm of his hand, so he had no problem in losing his pursuers.

As expected, the bane of his existence got to the rendezvous spot before him, and Shizuo was finally starting to take into consideration the possibility that perhaps Izaya had nothing to do with his loss of inhuman strength. It looked like the insect was risking a lot to make sure his archenemy wouldn't get killed by someone else, even if his reason was not only selfish, but also really dumb, at least in Shizuo's opinion.

"Shizu-chan, you made it!" Izaya chirped and then chuckled when he heard Shizuo growl.

"You must be enjoying this."

Izaya raised a hand and tapped a finger on his chin as he blinked a few times before his vision focused on the blond again. "Not as much as I thought I might," he admitted. "It's like someone trying to steal your favorite toy... it's... irritating."

"The fuck?! I'm not your _toy,_ nor am I your _prey!"_ Shizuo snarled, grabbing the front of Izaya's t-shirt and bringing him closer until their foreheads were almost touching. "Got it?"

Izaya shrugged and smacked away Shizuo's hand. "Come over to my place," he suggested, a twisted grin almost splitting his face in two when he saw the expression on the brute's face.

"W-What?" Are you serious?" Shizuo nearly screeched. "'the hell is wrong with you?"

"No one would think to look for you there. Can't you see how brilliant my idea is?" Truth be told, Izaya was a bit reluctant about taking Shizuo to his apartment, but he doubted the man could do anything as long as he didn't possess his inhuman strength. Besides, Izaya liked the idea of embarrassing Shizuo by manipulating the situation to a point where the brute would have no choice but to rely on his archenemy to survive. "Well, if you want to put your friends in harm's way, then be my guest," he added when he saw that Shizuo seemed unable to make up his mind on whether to follow him or not.

"Fine," Shizuo growled through tightly clenched teeth.

"What? I'm not sure I heard you right. Did Shizu-chan just agree to accept my help?" Izaya teased him, unable to stop himself from falling prey to old habits.

Shizuo glared at him with all the animosity he could muster. "Screw you, I'm out of here," and he turned around, mind set on looking for a cheap hotel where he could spend the night trying to come up with a solution to his latest problem.

"Don't be such a baby, Shizu-chan, you're no fun," Izaya pouted.

"I'm not here to entertain you," Shizuo answered as he kept walking away.

"Then go ahead and die!" Izaya shouted after him, folding his arms in front of his chest and burning holes into the back of Shizuo's head. "In a ditch preferably!" He stood there for a few minutes, sighing loudly a couple of times before finally shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He was about to head in the direction of the stairs when he caught sight of a running Shizuo out of the corner of his eyes, and he turned around, his hand automatically flying to his switchblade when he noticed the angry mob following the blond. "Over here," he shouted to get the beast's attention before heading to a train that was about to leave the station.

Shizuo hated how desperate he must've looked, but after getting taken by surprise and ending up with a deep gash on his arm, he had no choice but to run back to Izaya. That didn't mean however that he'd follow him home, but at least getting out of Ikebukuro for a while sounded like a good idea. He followed Izaya into the train, and when the doors closed right before the angry mob hunting him down could catch him, he finally allowed himself the privilege of breathing in relief. Being a regular human was not as great as he thought it'd be, especially when he had so many enemies who wanted his head on a silver platter.

"I had no idea that Shizu-chan pissed off so many people in Ikebukuro, and believe me, that comes as surprise, because I usually know everything!" Izaya snickered and pushed Shizuo towards the nearest window seat.

"Hey!" Shizuo protested and tried to get up, but Izaya took a seat beside him and stretched his legs, effectively blocking his archenemy's way out.

"Stop fighting me, at least for a while; if you want to live that is," Izaya said as their eyes met, Shizuo's tired expression letting him know that he'd already won the fight. He should've never doubted his ability to make the best out of every situation.

He was, after all, a god among men.


	7. Blood Hunger

The two archenemies spent the way to Shinjuku in silence, occasionally glaring at one another before huffing and snapping their heads in opposite directions. There were a million things they wanted to say, hateful words mostly, but somehow, neither of them could bring themselves to break the silence. It was a major change from the usual threats and insults they spew at one another, and by the time they reached the Shinjuku station, they almost didn't even feel like fighting anymore.

Shizuo quietly followed behind Izaya until they were out in the street. Sighing softly, he stopped in his tracks and slipped a hand into his pants' pocket to fish out the cigarette pack. "I'll see you around, but hopefully not too soon," he mumbled and moved to cross the street, but Izaya tightly gripped his arm and stopped him from leaving. "'the fuck you want now, bastard?" Shizuo hissed and tried to shake Izaya's disgusting hand off his arm, but the Informant only held on to it tighter. **"Flea..."** he growled dangerously and tried to punch him, but Izaya caught his fist, the insect's twisted grin only growing wider after successfully parrying Shizuo's blow.

"Now, now, Shizu-chan, this is not the way you treat someone who's saved your life so many times in the past two days," Izaya chuckled darkly. "Besides, my apartment is not in that direction," he informed the brute glaring at him before finally relinquishing his hold.

"I don't really give a shit," Shizuo said flatly.

"But, Shizu-chan," Izaya pouted, "you agreed to―" he tried to argue, but the rest of the words got caught in his throat when he heard Shizuo laugh ― actually laugh ― as though Izaya himself had missed something important.

Shizuo slipped a cigarette between his lips and lit it up, smirking. "I can't believe you actually bought that."

Izaya's brows furrowed in confusion. For once, he was at a loss as to what the hell was the dumb brute before him trying to say; Shizuo was not one to play games.

"You really thought that I'd go to your place, like we're friends or something?" Shizuo asked, and his tone was one of disbelief. "Wow, you're not as smart as I thought you were."

"So Shizu-chan thinks I'm smart? Aww, that's adorable," Izaya cooed, but on the inside he only felt embarrassment for having been tricked by the protozoan grinning at him like an idiot.

"I only said it so that I'd find out where you lived," Shizuo confessed before he took a lungful of smoke and blew it in Izaya's direction, honey-brown eyes sparkling with satisfaction when the smaller man coughed.

"Then follow me," Izaya offered, smirking back.

Shizuo shook his head. "Nah, not worth the trouble."

"Suit yourself," Izaya shrugged as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and started walking away.

On the inside though, he felt the impulse to go after Shizuo and plant a switchblade between the stupid beast's hazel eyes. Orihara Izaya was supposed to be the one playing games, not the other way around, and after glancing back just as Shizuo disappeared around a corner, he spun on his heels and vowed to make Shizuo pay for his little stunt. The brute needed to learn that Izaya always got what he wanted, and what he wanted was to turn Heiwajima Shizuo from a dangerous stray into a harmless pet. A blood-thirsty smirk nearly split his face in two, the thought of playing such a game with his long time enemy making his heart beat faster and the blood in his veins sing with excitement.

He tried to keep a safe distance between himself and his prey, but he almost got caught once when Shizuo suddenly turned around and scanned the crowd, as though the blond could somehow sense his presence. It wasn't that far-fetched, considering how the brute could find him so quickly whenever Izaya went to Ikebukuro, but Shinjuku was his territory, and the last few times he went to Ikebukuro, Shizuo hadn't been able to easily sense his presence like he used to before the whole loss of power thing.

A dark chuckle threatened to erupt from deep within, and he had to clamp a hand over his mouth to not attract unwanted attention. Shizuo seemed to be walking around aimlessly, as though he had no idea where he was going, and perhaps he didn't. After about fifteen more minutes of walking, it looked like Shizuo decided to take a break, and Izaya watched him buy something ― he couldn't tell what, but he guessed it was either pudding or icecream ― before the blond went to sit on a bench. Izaya would've loved to get closer, but he didn't want to risk getting caught.

Bubbling with excitement, he fished out his phone and joined the chatroom. He didn't waste any time on small-talk, so after greeting the people there, he asked innocently if anyone knew what Shizuo was doing in Shinjuku. He only mentioned the general area where he saw him, not really going into details, and then logged out. After all, he didn't want to make it too easy for the angry mob going after his prey. He did wonder though how long it'd take them before they found Ikebukuro's beast. Some of the people from the day before posted online something about Orihara Izaya helping Heiwajima Shizuo out, but it sounded like such a ludicrous thing that no one believed it. That suited Izaya just fine.

The funny thing about being in Shinjuku was that people didn't know Shizuo, so they didn't stare or whisper things about him whenever they passed him by. In Shinjuku, Heiwajima Shizuo was just another human, now more than ever after losing his strength. With no one to piss him off, Shizuo's expression actually looked serene as he ate his pudding or icecream ― Izaya was still uncertain about which one it was ― and once he was done he got up and threw the cup into the trash can nearby before sitting down again.

After that, Shizuo spent the next hour or so watching the people walking by, and Izaya couldn't help but wonder if the brute also liked to observe humans. _Impossible,_ he told himself and checked the chatroom again to see if those guys where anywhere near finding Shizuo. Judging by the messages, some of them were already in Shinjuku, but it didn't look like they were close to their prey. A sound of frustration escaped Izaya's lips, and just as he was about to give them a clue, a few gang members that he recognized from Ikebukuro seemed to be heading in Shizuo's direction. Unfortunately, Izaya couldn't warn him. After all, he needed the protozoan to find him instead of the other way around.

The men attacked Shizuo the second they approached him, and Ikebukuro's beast responded in kind. Izaya couldn't help but cringe a few times when Shizuo got hit, and he almost interfered himself when it looked like the brute would end up getting killed, but luckily, Shizuo did the only smart thing one could do in his situation, which was to run the hell away from there. Normally, six guys would've been nothing to Ikebukuro's beast, but an injured Shizuo without his monstrous strength stood no chance against them. Izaya followed closely behind as they ran through the streets, taking a few shortcuts so that Shizuo would run into him while trying to lose his pursuers. Izaya knew Shinjuku like the back of his hand, so when he finally ended up in front of a store that Shizuo would surely pass by, he stopped and pretended to look for something to buy.

"Oi, flea, 'the hell you doing here?" Shizuo asked, sounding out of breath.

Izaya fought to not burst into laughter. "Just looking to buy a few things. You look pretty banged up, what happened?" He tried to sound surprised, and he hoped that the brute bought his little act.

"Can't talk, gotta run," Shizuo grumbled before he broke into a sprint.

Izaya immediately followed. "Wait, Shizu-chan, what's wrong?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"People followin' me," Shizuo hissed through gritted teeth before he suddenly turned around, wrapped his fingers around Izaya's throat and slammed him into a nearby building. "You told them where I was," he growled and then ended up hissing in pain and releasing his hold on his enemy when Izaya punched him hard in the stab wound.

"Oi," Heiwajima, you're so dead!" one of the men shouted just as he was crossing the street towards them.

"Now's not the time," Izaya announced before he grabbed Shizuo's arm and started running away, the blond struggling to keep up with his speed. "I'll help you lose them, so trust me, at least this one time, ne?"

"Tch!"

Izaya was a bit concerned that he'd been seen, but he didn't want to think about that when he had more important things to worry about, like taking Shizuo to safety. He almost burst into laughter, because it wasn't something he ever thought he'd one day end up doing, and judging by the brute's silence, Shizuo was finally starting to realize that he had no choice but to do as he was told if he wanted to live. Smirking to himself, Izaya released Shizuo and continued to run, going through many side streets and alleyways in an attempt to lose their pursuers. The men were more motivated to catch Ikebukuro's beast that Izaya had originally thought, but after about fifteen minutes of getting chased through Shinjuku, Izaya got an idea.

"Vendor-san, do you think we can hide beneath your counter for a few minutes?" Izaya asked as both he and Shizuo burst into a store. Before the seller even had a chance to answer, Izaya took out a few bills, shoved them into the man's pockets, dashed under the counter and pulled Shizuo down with him. The space was too small for two people to fit in, so Shizuo had no choice but to sit on Izaya's lap, which was awkward as hell for the both of them.

"Stop squirming," Izaya whispered into Shizuo's ear.

"Fuck this!" Shizuo snapped and tried to get out, but Izaya clamped a hand over his mouth and then wrapped an arm around his waist, successfully trapping him there. Shizuo was about to start struggling, or maybe just bang their heads together repeatedly until Izaya would release him, but they heard hurried footsteps approaching and they both froze.

"Hey, old man, have you seen two guys running past here?" one of the guys asked.

"They went that way," the man answered and pointed to his right.

Both Shizuo and Izaya held their breathes as the footsteps disappeared into the distance for what felt like an eternity before the man told them it was safe to get out.

Shizuo grumbled and awkwardly dusted himself off while Izaya couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you very much for your help," he told the vendor and handed him a few more bills.

"No, thank you, young man."

Izaya smiled and waved before walking away, Shizuo following after him like a lost puppy.

"That was not a good place to hide under," Shizuo muttered, his face still red after the awkward position he'd been forced to sit in because of the damn flea walking in front of him.

Izaya half-turned and shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Tch!" Shizuo scoffed and snapped his head to the side, disgust written all over his face. "At least I should've been the one sitting down, since I'm taller," he tried to argue, but Izaya's chuckle discouraged him from continuing.

"Well, bye bye now~" Izaya singsonged and wondered if Shizuo would stop him and ask him for help. He knew that if he insisted, it'd look suspicious, and then Shizuo would never accept his help.

"Do you think they'll give up and go back to Ikebukuro?" Shizuo asked, sounding a bit worried.

Izaya stopped in his tracks and pulled out his phone. "Hmm, let me see..." he spoke in a serious tone and logged in to check the chatroom. "No, sorry to disappoint you, Shizu-chan, but it looks like they're really determined to find you. Look..." he said and raised the phone.

Shizuo reluctantly approached Izaya and stared at the screen, reading line after line from people talking about meeting up in Shinjuku to hunt him down. "To think they'd even follow me here," he grumbled and scrubbed a hand over his face before running it through messy blonde hair.

Izaya lowered his arm and sighed. "Most humans are like that, Shizu-chan. Once they smell blood, they follow its trail, regardless of where it leads."

"I have no idea why you're so fascinated by them," Shizuo admitted and awkwardly scratched his head, staring straight ahead and looking pensive.

"Because their actions and reactions are so interesting!" Izaya bubbled with excitement. "A beast like you would never understand."

"Guess not."

Izaya started walking away again, but he abruptly stopped and half-turned with a smirk on his face. "Ah, my offer still stands, in case you change your mind. You know my number."

Shizuo kept glowering at Izaya's back as the man, _no, the insect,_ was moving further away from him. _I'll be okay,_ he tried to reassure himself. _I'll just find a hotel and then... shit... I won't be okay, that's the first place where they're gonna look. Shitshitshit..._ "Oi, Izaya," he found himself calling the insect's name before he even realized what he was doing.

"Yes...?"

Shizuo kept inwardly cursing himself, but the words had left his mouth before he even had a chance to think things through. _Fuck!_ Instead of answering right away, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it up and then took a lungful of smoke. "Your offer... I accept it," he mumbled reluctantly. "I don't want my family to end up paying for my hospital bills, or worse, my funeral," he admitted, "so I'm going to take you up on that offer, at least for a few days."

Izaya barely hid the malicious smirk threatening to show on his face. "It's always good to know that Shizu-chan is not suicidal," Izaya chirped, "'cause that would be bo~oring!"

"Just don't try anything funny. I'll fuckin' kill you if you do," Shizuo warned as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and headed towards the flea standing a few feet away from him.

"What are you talking about?" Izaya asked innocently. "What could I possibly do to a monster like you, hmm?"

Shizuo sneered and pulled out his phone to let Tom know that he would be away for a few days. "I don't know," he answered after sending the message. "You're the bastard flea, so how should I know what your screwed up mind might come up with?"

Izaya snickered the whole time as he crossed the street. Ikebukuro's beast ― well, former beast ― was actually following him home by his own free will. _This is too funny!_ He could almost hear himself laughing hysterically inside his head, and he was glad that he had such good control over his masks because it wouldn't do to break into laughter next to his archenemy. He knew better than anyone how volatile Shizuo's temper was, and he didn't want the man to snap and run away from him again. By telling people that Ikebukuro's beast was in Shinjuku, he knew that he had pretty much forced Shizuo to go to the only place where people would never think to look. Everyone in Ikebukuro knew the deep hatred they shared, so Izaya had no doubts that no one would bother him while looking for Shizuo. Now that he thought about it, he would have to remember to start a rumor about Orihara Izaya being the one to finally get rid of Ikebukuro's beast, simply because it'd be fun to have them wonder if it was true. He knew that many people would believe it, and that would only work in his favor.

"Oi, are we there yet?" Shizuo asked after a while. It wasn't that he was curious where the insect lived ― or so he kept telling himself ― but the broken ribs were making it hard for him to breathe, and it looked like some of the stitches got torn when Izaya had punched him, because he could see blood seeping into the material of his bartender uniform. "Flea? Did you hear what I said?"

"Oh?" Izaya asked, blinking. "No, my mind was someplace else."

"I said, are we there yet?" Shizuo growled and then took another smoke from the cigarette.

"As a matter of fact, we are," Izaya informed him.

Somehow, Shizuo felt out of place as his eyes scanned the expensive-looking interior of the building they went into. "You must make a lot of money by screwing people over, huh?" he muttered in disgust.

"Not nearly as much as I'd like to," Izaya said, slightly irritated, before he pushed the elevator button again. "Is this broken?" he frowned and pressed it again, but when the elevator didn't arrive, he sighed loudly before heading towards the stairs. "They fixed this a couple of months ago, and now it's broken again. What kind of half-assed job did those guys do?" he muttered discontentedly and went up the stairs.

"Maybe it just didn't want to let you in," Shizuo taunted, but he nearly ended up falling down the stairs when Izaya suddenly turned around and snatched the cigarette from between his fingers.

"No smoking in my apartment, got it?" the Informant warned with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Shizuo glowered at him for a few moments before sighing and nodding.

"Good. Now, there are a few rules," Izaya said and then continued up the stairs after crushing the cigarette under the sole of his shoe. "Don't touch my computer and laptop, or anything related to my work. In fact, don't get anywhere near my desk."

"Who the hell would wanna see the fucked up shit you do?" Shizuo snapped.

"There are many people who would kill to get their hands on the information I possess on some of the most influential figures in this city," Izaya informed him with a smirk on his face, sounding proud of himself. "You wouldn't believe what some of these so-called upstanding citizens do in their spare time. Even I find it hard to believe sometimes, and I'm someone who expects almost anything from my beloved humans."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"And... we're here," Izaya said after stopping in front of the door.

"Top floor, huh?" Shizuo mumbled. "Figures."

Izaya's smirk grew wider as he fished out the key. "Of course. How else would I observe my humans, if not from above?" Izaya then chuckled and stepped inside, but instead of going in, Shizuo was staring at him with a strange expression on his face. "Well, aren't you going to come in?"

Shizuo's frown deepened. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you in your sleep. I wouldn't want to dirty my shiny floor with your filthy blood," Izaya said before going further inside the apartment and leaving the door open for the protozoan to come in when he found the courage to step into enemy territory. "Don't tell me Shizu-chan is a coward," he snickered, and he knew that he'd pushed a button when Shizuo stormed inside, slammed the door and then marched towards him, sneering. "Who the fuck is a coward, flea? I dare you to say that again."

Izaya flicked open his switchblade and pressed it to Shizuo's neck before the blond even had a chance to land a hit. It was almost funny how easy it would've been for him to destroy a powerless, wounded Ikebukuro beast. "I told you to stay away from my desk," he warned him in a disgustingly sweet voice, as though he wasn't threatening him with the switchblade.

"Y-Yeah," Shizuo muttered. He was supposed to stay away from the man, but with an angry, blood-thirsty mob looking for him, he really had no choice but to swallow his pride and allow the disgusting insect to help him out. "Got it."

Izaya slipped the switchblade back into his pocket before sitting down in his desk chair. "Shizu-chan, go take a shower, you stink," he said, amused, and then smirked nastily when the brute snarled at him. "Up the stairs, on the right. I'll bring you a change of clothes. Leave the door open~"

"Like hell I will!" Shizuo growled but headed up the stairs nonetheless.

"I promise I won't molest you! I'll only bring you a set of clothes~"

"'the hell?! Just leave them on the floor in front of the door!"

"But that's dirty!" he shouted after Shizuo, but he ended up flinching when he heard the door getting slammed. _Stupid protozoan, I didn't say you could destroy my apartment._

Sighing, he got up and went to look for something that would fit a brute like Shizuo. He laughed to himself when he heard the water running, and he opened the door to his bedroom and went inside. Because Izaya himself was so skinny, he knew that his clothes would be too small for Shizuo, but he was glad that he had a slightly bigger pair of sweatpants from when they had messed up his order at an online store. He'd been too busy to even bother to change the item, so in the end, he ended up throwing them in with the rest of clothes he didn't wear very often. Luckily, he had a matching sweatshirt too, and even though he assumed one of his undershirts would be a bit too tight for the brute, he still picked one of those, as well as a pair of briefs. This time he couldn't help himself, and he broke into thoroughly entertained laughter at the thought of Ikebukuro's beast wearing his archenemy's underwear. They were new, but it was still ridiculously funny. _Really, Shizu-chan, I can't believe that for a few brief moments, I thought you were boring,_ he mused before he retrieved a sheet of paper and placed the clothes on it and in front of the bathroom door.

_"This should be interesting~"_ he sang and went to change as well. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to close an eye with Ikebukuro's beast in his house. _But that's why it's so much fun._


End file.
